The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday released a memo defending Alejandro Mayorkas as House Republicans moved forward with their efforts to impeach the department's secretary.
"Unlike like those pursuing photo ops and politics, Secretary Mayorkas is working relentlessly to fix the problem by working with Republican and Democratic Senators to find common ground and real solutions," the department said in a memo ahead of House Republicans' first impeachment hearing.
"Members of Congress serious about addressing these challenges should oppose this baseless impeachment that is going nowhere and instead work with the Department to keep America safe by properly funding DHS's vital missions and reforming our broken immigration laws," it added.
Republicans blame Mayorkas for the border crisis, saying he violated federal law and the Constitution.
"Our investigation made clear that this crisis finds its foundation in Secretary Mayorkas' decision-making and refusal to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and that his failure to fulfill his oath of office demands accountability," Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement announcing the hearing.
The House panel has been circling Mayorkas and is expected to lurch ahead with impeachment proceedings against him as the border crossings hit record highs, topping 10,000 on some days. The number has recently dipped.
Green's committee conducted a multi-part investigation into Mayorkas and the department but kicked the process into high gear when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., pushed forward the impeachment resolution after Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., won the speaker's gavel following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the job.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.