House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., on Wednesday officially requested that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas provide written testimony to the panel as House Republicans seek his impeachment over the southern border crisis.
"The Committee has given Secretary Mayorkas chance after chance to appear and explain his actions, decisions, and statements to us and to the American people," Green said in a statement. "Over the past several months, he has tacitly rejected those offers, resorting instead to political games and delay."
According to Green, the committee would have preferred that Mayorkas sit for a deposition and called the request for written testimony "his last chance."
"Our request for written testimony from Secretary Mayorkas is his last chance to show some semblance of respect for the people's representatives and our constitutional oversight duties," Green said. "The American people are begging for Congress to act, and we will heed that call. Congressional oversight will continue, with or without Secretary Mayorkas' cooperation."
The panel originally asked Mayorkas to appear for testimony Jan. 18; the secretary cited scheduling conflicts as the reason he could not appear as requested.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Messenger the committee did not respond to its request to schedule an alternative date.
"This is just the latest example of Committee Republicans' sham process," a DHS spokesperson told the outlet. "It's abundantly clear that they are not interested in hearing from Secretary Mayorkas since it doesn't fit into their bad-faith, predetermined, and unconstitutional rush to impeach him. Last week, the Secretary offered to testify publicly before the Committee; in the time since, the Committee failed to respond to DHS to find a mutually agreeable date."
"Instead, they provided this offer of written testimony to the media before any outreach to the Department," the spokesperson continued. "CHS Republicans have yet again demonstrated their preference for playing politics rather than work together to address the serious issues at the border."
The committee will hold a second hearing as part of the impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas on Thursday morning, which will focus on Americans who have been directly impacted by the border crisis.
Private citizens, as well as a member of law enforcement and a public policy academic, are scheduled to testify at the hearing, according to the committee's website.