House Republicans move forward to impeach homeland security head

Lawmakers hold hearing on Alejandro Mayorkas, who they say has encouraged illegal immigration across US-Mexico border

House Republicans barreled ahead with their effort to impeach the homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, for his handling of the US's southern border, as their party attempts to make immigration a defining issue of this year's presidential election.

The House homeland security committee launched the impeachment proceedings on Wednesday, with Republicans charging that Mayorkas has been derelict in his duty to secure the US-Mexico border amid a sharp rise in migration while Democrats and administration officials assailed the inquiry as a sham" and a political stunt".