The House vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas gained momentum and demarcated the political divisions and implications surrounding the decision. Driven mainly by House Republicans, the vote narrowly passed on Tuesday, a week after the first attempt failed, marking a rare event since the House had not impeached a cabinet secretary in nearly 150 years.

Republicans accuse Mayorkas of deliberately allowing the crisis to escalate at the southern border, framing it as a matter of lawlessness. However, Democrats and some Republican lawmakers argue that these allegations stem from political disagreements, not compliance with the constitutional threshold for impeachment. Critics fear that Mayorkas’ impeachment could set a precedent of politicizing future impeachment proceedings, according to USA Today.

The Department of Homeland Security condemned the lawsuit, labeling it as baseless and politically motivated. Despite the House vote, the Senate's role in conducting a trial remains unclear, with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticizing the impeachment request as a “sham”. In addition, President Joe Biden criticized House Republicans for prioritizing impeachment of Mayorkas over bipartisan efforts to resolve border issues. However, the likelihood of Mayorkas being removed from office seems low, given Democratic control of the Senate and skepticism from some Republican senators, according to USA Today.

According to the Politico report, three Republicans defected in the impeachment effort: Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Ken Buck (R-Colorado) and Tom McClintock (R-California), who also voted “no” last week. But GOP leaders were able to revive the articles against Mayorkas with the return of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) after treatment for blood cancer.

Also according to the article, “the vote comes on the same day that Republicans are trying to hold onto expelled Rep. George Santos’ seat. If Democrats flip the seat, that would likely have put impeaching Mayorkas just out of reach until special elections later this year”.

The controversial nature of the impeachment against Mayorkas reflects broader partisan divisions and the uncertainties surrounding the future of border politics and the impeachment process in the United States.