After several delays, Speaker Mike Johnson may be finally sending the impeachment articles against Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to the U.S. Senate this week. Johnson had previously named 11 House impeachment managers who will oversee the process.
For anyone who has paid attention to House Republicans, it won’t be surprising that several of the House managers have been among the worst purveyors of racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. Many repeatedly invoke the white nationalist great replacement theory.
Republicans have been very clear. Unless you sign up for the MAGA agenda, you can never be American enough. That’s the language of their leader, Donald Trump. And, it’s what we hear repeatedly from Republican Members of Congress – and it is what drives their Mayorkas impeachment.
Republicans in the House have gone to extremes over and over again, invoking the kind of language that has inspired mass shootings over the past few years. In fact, at a House Judiciary Committee hearing last July, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) asked Secretary Mayorkas, “When elected officials repeat great replacement rhetoric, including the language of invasion, are they putting a target on the backs of immigrants and people of color?” Secretary Mayorkas replied, “It certainly fuels the threat landscape we encounter.”
Republicans, however, are undaunted. Instead, they are intent on making it clear that the Secretary, as an immigrant and a Jew, will never be American enough for them. This impeachment charade is just a mechanism for the House to advance and normalize the great replacement theory.
Abraham Foxman, who served as National Director of the Anti-Defamation League from 1987-2015, concluded in a recent op-ed in Time:
“Today, I am worried. When an antisemitic, anti-immigrant conspiracy is evoked to take down a Jewish public servant, who served on the board of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the same organization that helped bring my own family to the U.S. after the Holocaust, the same organization evoked by the perpetrator of the largest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, my antennae go up.
Foxman was referring to the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 that killed eleven and wounded 6, including holocaust survivors. The gunman said he carried out the crime to repel because of links between the congregation and HIAS, formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, because “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people.” Foxman continued in his Time op-ed:
I know that, for many, the drive to impeach Mayorkas is about politics. Restoring order to our borders is an issue worthy of robust debate and we expect politicians to disagree. But when those politics traffic in conspiracies, like ‘the great replacement,’ which drives real world violence against Jews and other groups, history calls on us to take notice, to speak up and to vigorously defend Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas and our democracy. It’s time to stop this dangerous charade.”
Below are some of the most egregious examples of House impeachment managers invoking extremist language:
Andy Biggs
- Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) is a no stranger to using the deadly conspiracy theory. In February 2023 he tweeted, “The Biden Administration is now legalizing the historic invasion at the southern border. Its new parole program and CBP One phone app are shuffling hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into our communities. The Admin should prevent illegal immigration—not facilitate it.”
- 1/24/24 – Twitter: “The Biden Administration is violating Article IV, Section 4 of our Constitution. The federal government “shall protect each [state] from invasion.” More states need to take matters into their own hands. The federal government has failed them.”
- 1/26/24 – Twitter: “This proposed package is a non-starter and legitimizes the current invasion. Enforce our existing laws. No more strings attached deals.”
- 1/30/24 – Hearing: “you can’t control what and determine what an invasion is when the sovereign state and don’t forget that the founders intended to recognize the sovereignty of the states to govern themselves if that you’re to turn the definition of invasion over to the federal government who is violating the invasion clause” 2:16:18
- 2/29/24 – Twitter: “Today is day 1,135 of Biden’s presidency and our southern border remains wide open. Joe Biden is allowing foreign nationals to invade our nation.”
Ben Cline
- 9/27/23 – Twitter: “Americans are witnessing an invasion at our borders every day because DHS Secretary Mayorkas has willfully IGNORED his duty to protect the homeland & uphold the rule of law. As I continue working for his impeachment, tonight I joined with @HouseGOP to hold him accountable by effectively DEFUNDING his position.”
- 11/14/23 – Twitter: “Last month, there were 240,988 illegal crossings at the southern border, including 12 people on the terrorist watch list. The Biden admin’s failed policy decisions are only aiding and abetting this INVASION at our open border.”
- 2/14/24 – Twitter: “Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas deflects and denies having any responsibility for the invasion at our Southern border. His willful neglect has created a humanitarian crisis, and his leadership has been a failure of historic proportions. No hiding from the truth, Mr. Secretary.”
Andrew Garbarino
- In January of 2024, Garbarino, led by Rep. Stefanik, calling the border situation an “invasion” while encouraging NY’s Governor to send national guard to Texas.
- In summer of 2022, Andrew Garbarino ran Facebook ads that read “Every state is a border state thanks to Biden’s Border Crisis.”
Mark Green
- Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), promoted the white nationalist conspiracy after July 2022 press conference, tweeting: “There’s an invasion at our southern border—there’s no other word that encompasses the heartbreak that is young girls being raped and fentanyl killing Americans.”
- 1/2/24 – Twitter: “President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’ open border policies created this historic crisis. And the fact that they won’t reverse course proves it’s intentional.”
- 1/16/24 – Twitter: “This crisis is intentional. It’s impossible to fail this bad accidentally and for so long. Everything President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have done, they have done with purpose.”
- 2/27/24 – Twitter: “There’s no doubt that this border crisis is engineered and intentional. And Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden know the net effect: the fentanyl, the cartel crime, the human trafficking, and the Chinese nationals coming across the border. “
Marjorie Taylor Greene
- 9/27/23 – Twitter: “I’m excited to let you know I just passed a second Holman rule amendment tonight, this time to FIRE Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Our border is being invaded and 300 Americans are dying every single day from the fentanyl being brought across our border. Blood is on the hands of Secretary Mayorkas.”
- 1/8/24 – Twitter: “Secretary Mayorkas said he is “offended” by the term “invasion” that he is purposefully facilitating at our Southern Border. I had only one thing to say in response: RESIGN or we will IMPEACH you. Well, he hasn’t resigned. So tomorrow, we start the process of impeachment. https://t.co/djyjqo0FJk”
- 1/9/24 – Facebook: “The first hearing to #ImpeachMayorkas is tomorrow! This lawless Secretary has enabled over 1.8 MILLION known gotaways to invade our country. It’s time for him to finally be held accountable for the national security crisis he has created.”
- 1/10/24 – House Homeland Committee Hearing: “10 million illegal border crossers from over 160 countries have invaded the United States… in Sept 341,000 illegal border crossers invaded our country surpassing all national records…in FY 2023 there were over three million illegals who invaded our country…he’s violated the guarantee clause set forth in article 4 section 4 of the constitution which requires the federal government to protect states against invasion”
- 1/22/24 – Twitter: “Outrageous! The Constitution says the role of the federal government is to defend the states from invasion, but Secretary Mayorkas and his boss Joe Biden refuse to uphold the law and protect our country. Now the Supreme Court says Texas cannot even defend itself!”
Michael Guest
- 4/9/24 – Twitter: “Tomorrow we are planning to deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate…we found that he willfully refused to comply with immigration laws.”
Harriet Hageman
- 2/23/23 – Twitter: “The Biden Administration and Secretary Mayorkas must be held accountable for the invasion on our Southern border. The must do the job that each has sworn an oath to do.”
- 5/2/23 – Twitter: “Over 10 times the population of Wyoming have crossed the border illegally since Joe Biden has been president. It’s time to end his cruel policies that have led to human trafficking and drug smuggling.”
- 3/8/24 – Twitter: “I am proud to join this letter to the CBP. As if it weren’t bad enough having 10 million illegals cross our borders on the ground, now Biden and Mayorkas are leading an air invasion to hide the true number of illegals they are importing.”
Clay Higgins
- 1/22/24 – Twitter: “Media: ‘Congressman Higgins, the Supreme Court just ruled in favor of the Biden Admin over the State of Texas, saying that the federal government can remove physical barriers at the border put in place by Texas. What are your thoughts?’ Me: ‘My thoughts are that the feds are staging a civil war, and Texas should stand their ground.’”
- 2/5/24 – Twitter: “The Senate border bill is weak. It’s not even a step in the right direction. HR2 is the only real solution to the invasion of illegals, drugs and terrorists rolling over our southern border.”
Laurel Lee
- 1/26/23 – Twitter: “🚨The crisis at our southern border is out of control. We MUST secure our border and ensure @CBP has the resources they need to stop the invasion of drug cartels and criminals into our communities.”
- 2/8/24 – Twitter: “Mayorkas has intentionally failed to secure the homeland and must be held accountable.”
- 4/10/24 – Twitter: “President Biden can change course and put an end to the invasion of our border right now.Every day that this administration refuses to acknowledge and address the border crisis, Americans remain at risk. It’s time for this administration to put the American people first.”
Michael McCaul
- Michael McCaul (R-TX) promoted the white nationalist conspiracy to the massive Fox News audience in April of 2022, falsely claiming “We have an invasion in my home state right on the border every day.”
- In November of 2023, McCaul ran a Facebook ad falsely claiming that “Joe Biden surrendered our border to the Mexican drug cartels and now deadly fentanyl is streaming into our country. Michael McCaul will finish the wall and crack down on the cartels. Michael McCaul will strengthen our borders and create safer neighborhoods.
- 12/14/23 – Twitter: “11,000 illegal immigrants encountered in ONE day — more than the population of many municipalities I represent across Texas-10. Make no mistake: The numbers are a direct result of the Biden admin’s catastrophic open-border policies.”
- 1/3/24 – Twitter: “Migrant encounters at our southern border reportedly hit an all-time high of 785,000 last fiscal quarter. That’s roughly the population of the district I represent, which spans 12 counties. Texas is being overrun.”
August Pfluger
- 1/10/24 – Facebook: “Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden have allowed nearly 9 million illegal migrants—including known and suspected terrorists and convicted criminals—into our country. For comparison, only 11 states in America have a population of over 9 million.”
- 1/24/24 – Twitter: “Horrific. Border Patrol agents are on the front lines against a criminal invasion of our country.”
- 1/25/24 – Twitter: “Horrific. Border Patrol agents are on the front lines against a criminal invasion of our country.”