The Hill reports that U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA) has just indicated that he may be willing to join the Republican-led effort to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his mishandling of the southern border crisis. 

Vargas did so on Friday, during a press conference that he held.

"[Mayorkas] told us that he would help us, and he hasn’t done it,” Vargas said.

"He betrayed us," Vargas added.

Background

Although Vargas is considering joining the Republican-led effort to impeach Mayorkas, he would be doing so for a very different reason from that of House Republicans.

House Republicans, of course, want to impeach Mayorkas because the federal government, under the leadership of Mayorkas and U.S. President Joe Biden, has failed to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

Under the leadership of Mayorkas and Biden, illegal immigration is worse than it has ever been. After the record-breaking month of December 2022 - in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) saw 251,487 illegal alien encounters - Biden ostensibly addressed the problem with a new plan.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), however, recently reported:

The Biden administration’s new “border enforcement measures” have not succeeded in curbing record levels of illegal immigration, they’ve just rerouted much of the flow through legal ports of entry.

It is for this reason - the non-security of the U.S.-Mexico border - that multiple House Republicans - including U.S. Reps. Pat Fallon (R-TX) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) - have introduced articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.

Vargas's reason

Vargas, in contrast to House Republicans, would be looking to impeach Mayorkas for a very different reason: for the border wall project that is currently taking place at Friendship Park.

Located between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico, Friendship Park, according to the Washington Examiner, "has long served as a place for families to meet along the border with a gate in between them." The purpose of the project is to replace the current barriers, which are reportedly decaying.

Vargas, accordingly, is considering impeaching Mayorkas because he is allowing this border wall project to be carried out.

Either way, it is likely that House Republicans would welcome any Democratic support for the impeachment of Mayorkas, regardless of the underlying reason.

The unfortunate fact, though, is the U.S. Senate is in the hands of the Democrats. Accordingly, even if impeached, it is unlikely that Mayorkas will be convicted. And so, Americans are likely stuck with Mayorkas for his duration with the Biden administration.