House panel to finalize draft of Mayorkas impeachment articles by Tuesday, floor vote by week's end

The House Homeland Security Committee is scheduled Tuesday to "mark up" the two articles of impeachment against Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and House Speaker Mike Johnson says he plans on holding a floor vote on the matter "as soon as possible." 

The articles were released Sunday, and the so-called mark-up process refers to committee members editing the drafts articles until they reach an agreement on the exact language. 

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, made the vow to hold promptly hold the vote in a dear colleagues letter Friday.

The two articles accuse Mayorkas of "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and "breach of public trust." 

The articles allege, among other things, that "Mayorkas willfully and systemically refused to comply with the immigration laws, failed to control the border to the detriment of national security, compromised public safety, and violated the rule of law and separation of powers in the Constitution, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States."

Mayorkas may become the second Cabinet official to ever be impeached, with the first one occurring nearly 150 years ago. However, even if the House impeaches Mayorkas, he is unlikely to be removed from office, as two-thirds of the Democratic-controlled Senate would need to vote in favor of his removal.

The impeachment comes amid record levels of illegal immigration. 

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