A senior House Republican has subpoenaed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for a massive list of documents, communications, and data related to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced Wednesday that he sent Mayorkas a letter demanding information from ICE officials that he had requested more than four months ago during private briefings but had failed to receive.
“Although we appreciate that DHS has provided some limited data, your failure to produce all the requested documents and information prevents the Committee from fulfilling its constitutional oversight obligations,” Jordan wrote in the subpoena cover letter to Mayorkas.
The committee initially requested documents on Nov. 2, 2023, and followed up with the DHS 10 times across November, December, and January.
On Jan. 29, the DHS provided the committee with links to public data but failed to “fully satisfy” the committee’s requests, according to Jordan.
In Jordan’s letter to Mayorkas, he defended the committee’s authority to conduct oversight of the DHS as a basic responsibility of the legislative branch.
“The Supreme Court has recognized that Congress has a ‘broad and indispensable’ power
to conduct oversight, which ‘encompasses inquiries into the administration of existing laws,
studies of proposed laws, and surveys in our social, economic or political system for the purpose
of enabling Congress to remedy them,'” Jordan wrote.
In a statement shared with the Washington Examiner following publication, the DHS defended itself and said it had provided “extensive data and information,” including responses to two-thirds of the questions posed by the committee.
“Instead of working cooperatively, as DHS has repeatedly sought to do, the House Judiciary Committee continues to waste time with unnecessary subpoenas that serve no purpose beyond political posturing,” said a DHS spokesperson. “In this administration, DHS has produced thousands of pages of documents, provided countless briefings, and sent dozens of witnesses to appear for hearings. On this request alone, DHS already provided the vast majority of the information requested by the committee and made clear that our efforts remain ongoing.”
Mayorkas is already in hot water with House Republicans after the lower chamber voted in mid-February to impeach him on two counts.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The articles of impeachment were slated to be delivered to the Senate this month, but the Democratic-controlled Senate has indicated it is not interested in proceeding with a full trial, where Mayorkas could be convicted and terminated with a two-thirds vote.
When President Joe Biden took office in early 2021, he ordered a 100-day halt on all illegal immigrant deportations and has limited in scope whom ICE officers may arrest within the United States. Mayorkas, as the top DHS official, has led Biden’s directives.
