Mayorkas on GOP impeachment efforts: ‘I am focused on the work in front of us’ 

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas during an interview on Sunday waved off concerns about a potential impeachment, emphasizing that he is “focused on the work in front of us.”

“I am focused on the work in front of us meeting the challenge, not only with respect to the southern border, but meeting the challenge of … the cyber threat from cyber criminals and adverse foreign nations states,” Mayorkas told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

“I am focused on the increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather events,” he added. “I am focused on the adverse actions of the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, Iran, Russia. I am focused on the work of the Department of Homeland Security. I will continue to focus on that work throughout my tenure.”

Mayorkas is facing numerous calls for his impeachment by House Republicans over his handling of the U.S. border. The House Homeland Security Committee grilled Mayorkas last month, focusing on a 2006 law that requires a standard of perfection at the border.

Title 42 – a pandemic era policy that allowed for the rapid expulsion of asylum-seekers – expired last week, prompting concerns that a surge of migrants would result at the border. Instead, Mayorkas said on Sunday that authorities seen a 50 percent drop in encounters at the border in the days since the rule expired.