We figured something like this was coming when Rep. Clay Higgins laid down a verbal fusillade on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at a House committee hearing last month. Higgins made it known in no uncertain terms that he was ready for war on Mayorkas, who does nothing but lie to Congress about the southern border – so much so that it’s a clear insult to the intelligence of everybody listening when he claims that all-but-nonexistent border is secure.

But today it happened…

Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) introduced articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his failure to secure the southern border, dereliction of duty, and wanton disregard for his Constitutional oath.

The two articles span fifteen pages, judiciously outlining Secretary Mayorkas’ deliberate actions to transition DHS away from actual enforcement of law, disintegrate the operational control of our southern border and cede U.S. sovereignty to criminal cartels. Further, the articles clearly document Secretary Mayorkas’ abuse of Title 8 authority, which resulted in the unlawful release of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into the United States interior.

“The Founders intended that impeachment of a senior executive should require clear evidence of intentional, repeated unconstitutional or illegal actions that bring measurable injury to our Republic,” said Congressman Higgins. “Secretary Mayorkas has long ago crossed that threshold. His arrogant disregard for the security and sanctity of the American people has been shocking to behold. I think that in my 62 years, I’ve never met a more pompous, insidious man. I prepared the foundational posit of these articles long ago, yet I’ve been prayerful that impeachment might not be required. I’ve given him fair warning to resign his position. Now, he shall reap what he hath sown.”

Read the full articles here.

Is Mayorkas going down?

Nah. We’ve already seen that the Democrats in the Senate will protect every member of the Biden administration they can, and no matter how big a liability Mayorkas might be they won’t vote to get rid of him. They won’t even allow that vote.

But there probably are enough votes in the House to bring the impeachment even if the Senate won’t remove.

And as I’ve written, there is value in the kind of rebuke and process-is-the-punishment spectacle the impeachment of a cabinet secretary can become. I’ve said this ought to be done to all of them – Merrick Garland, Pete Buttigieg, Jennifer Granholm, Jake Sullivan, Lloyd Austin, Tony Blinken, Miguel Cardonas and on down the line. And none of those impeachments would be especially political; there are damned good specific reasons by which they ought to be impeached.

Mayorkas doing everything he can not to police that border while serially lying about it might be the most obvious, though. And the impeachment trial in the House requires expensive lawyers for him to defend against it, which is where the process becomes the punishment. Not to mention what’ll come out at that trial won’t likely help the White House much.

And maybe, just maybe, Mayorkas looks at the mess Higgins’ impeachment articles foretell and says “to hell with this” and resigns. Should that happen, Higgins would be entitled to claim a scalp.

Given what Mayorkas and the administration he belongs to have done at the border, that would be an overdue victory.