Key facts
- Voto Latino and dozens of other advocacy organizations are calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
- The groups cited concerns over deaths in detention and excessive force by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
- A letter dated last Thursday was sent to congressional leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
- The advocacy coalition includes interfaith, human rights, business, immigration, veteran, and civil rights leaders.
- The letter specifically mentioned the alleged failure of Mullin to provide oversight regarding excessive force and conditions in detention centers.
- Recent incidents, including two U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration authorities, were referenced as context for the demand.
Voto Latino and a coalition of dozens of other advocacy organizations have formally requested that Congress initiate impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. In a letter sent last Thursday to key congressional leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the groups cited Mullin's alleged failure to adequately oversee the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The organizations, which represent interfaith, human rights, business, immigration, veteran, and civil rights sectors, specifically pointed to the handling of deaths within immigration detention facilities and instances of excessive force by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. They stated that Mullin has not provided "meaningful oversight" over what they described as a "rogue and unchecked pattern of excessive force weaponized against entire communities."
The letter comes in the wake of recent controversial incidents, including two U.S. citizens who were killed by federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis earlier this year. Last week, nearly all House Democrats signed a separate letter calling for independent investigations into two fatal shootings by ICE officers that occurred within a single week, referencing the deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Guerrero in Maine. The Hill has reportedly reached out to the offices of the addressed representatives and the DHS for comment.