Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) has introduced a resolution to impeach the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, John McConnell Jr., for high crimes and misdemeanors.
What Did Judge McConnell Do?
Last week, Judge McConnell issued an order vacating a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy framework that paused asylum applications and pending immigration benefit requests.
This and other measures were designed to ensure that any individuals who entered the country since January 20th, 2021, were not public safety or national security threats.
McConnell vacated the policy framework despite the fact that an Afghan national named Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi pleaded guilty in June 2025 for conspiring to provide material support to ISIS for a domestic terror attack, and a second Afghan national shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., in November.
As a result, Rep. Steube argues that this constitutes an impeachment-worthy abuse of office.
What Steube is Saying
"Judge McConnell put the interests of noncitizens seeking immigration benefits above the national security of the United States," said Rep. Steube in a press release. "By issuing an order vacating policies designed to keep citizens from high-risk countries from posing a threat to public safety, he interfered with the executive branch's ability to keep Americans safe. Judges have a duty to faithfully apply the law, without substituting their own political views for legitimate national security concerns."
This is not the first time the Florida congressman has set his sights on "activist judges," or those who have repeatedly ruled against Trump Administration policies.
Last April, Steube fiercely criticized these repeated blocks as "disgusting" on Fox News, saying, "The Biden Administration and Democrats are the party of open borders... They created this. They had an open border policy that allowed all of these illegals, criminals, and terrorists to come into our country and kill Americans."
