Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) on Thursday accused Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of prioritizing Mexican interests above the United States after he declined an invitation to appear before the House Homeland Security Committee.
Green, who chairs that panel, vented his frustrations against Mayorkas in a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“It’s certainly telling that one of the primary excuses Secretary Mayorkas gave us for declining to appear next week is that he must host a delegation of Mexican officials,” he wrote.
“Yet again, this Secretary is putting the interests of Mexico ahead of the American people. Apparently, he needs to be reminded that Congress is a co-equal branch of government, and our Committee, not Mexico, has oversight over his department.”
The latest friction is part of an ongoing back-and-forth that includes consideration of articles of impeachment against Mayorkas by Green’s committee.
Articles of impeachment introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in November failed a House vote and were remitted to the Homeland Security panel.
The committee on Wednesday held the first hearing of the impeachment process, titled “Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States.”
According to Green’s office, Mayorkas received letters once in August and twice in September, inviting him to testify before the committee.
“It is deeply troubling that Secretary Mayorkas has refused the Committee’s multiple requests to appear before a co-equal branch of government,” said Green in a statement.
“For months, we have tried to work with his office to secure his testimony before the Committee so the American people can receive some much-needed transparency about the causes, costs, and consequences of the unprecedented border crisis. We have given him every opportunity to explain his handling of the crisis.”
In a letter to Green on Thursday, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs Zephranie Buetow declined an invitation on behalf of Mayorkas to testify on Jan. 18, the date proposed by Green.
“In keeping with the secretary’s commitment to cooperate with Congressional Committees, he will make himself available to testify before the Committee,” wrote Buetow.
“Consistent with the customary accommodations process, we look forward to working through the details with Committee staff and agreeing upon the date and structure of the hearing. As you can appreciate, the Secretary’s schedule is quite committed with the work of the Department including hosting Mexican Cabinet Members next week to discuss border enforcement.”
Mayorkas, along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall, last month visited Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City for a first round of bilateral migration negotiations.
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