Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday officially delivered to the Senate the articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden’s immigration chief, setting the stage for his trial in the upper chamber of Congress.
The unprecedented impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over disagreements in immigration policy comes as Republicans seek to make border security a key issue in November’s election.
Seen as the political equivalent of an indictment, the impeachment is largely symbolic, as Mayorkas is certain to be acquitted if his trial goes ahead in the Democratic-led Senate.
In February, lawmakers passed two articles accusing him of “willful and systemic refusal” to enforce immigration law and “breach of public trust,” making him the first cabinet secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years.
But it wasn’t until Tuesday that House impeachment managers made the ceremonial walk to present the articles to the Senate in person, along with the House clerk and sergeant-at-arms.
The Senate can move to dismiss the articles or jam up the process for months by sending them to a committee. Either option would require a majority on the floor.
Democrats have a 51-49 advantage over Republicans in the upper chamber.
The impeachment came amid a showdown between the House and the Senate over curbing a surge in illegal immigration, which hit a record 10,000 apprehensions a day at the US-Mexico border in December.
House Republicans have been accused of acting in bad faith on the impeachment, especially after coming out against a bipartisan deal hammered out in the Senate that would have imposed the toughest asylum and border policies in decades.
The House has only ever impeached one other cabinet official — Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876 — and that was over serious allegations of corruption.
