Republicans in the United States House of Representatives made the decision to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday night.
The lawmakers alleged that Mayorkas was accountable for a record surge of illegal migrants crossing the US-Mexico border in the past year, with VOA reporting that a staggering 10,000 migrants were apprehended at the border daily in December.
The vote tally stood at 214-213 in favour of impeachment, with three Republicans breaking ranks with their party to vote alongside the Democrats.
The disclosure highlighted a failure on the part of House party leaders to anticipate the presence of a hospitalized Democratic lawmaker who opposed the impeachment.
Despite a narrow vote on Tuesday, the return of Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was absent due to cancer treatment during the prior vote, ultimately led to the impeachment of the 64-year-old Cabinet member.
Mayorkas is the second Cabinet member in US history to be impeached, following Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876.
The Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats with a 51-49 majority, is expected to acquit Mayorkas. A conviction requires a two-thirds vote, meaning that at least 18 Democrats would need to vote in favour of the conviction if all Republicans also did so.
Since the House has impeached Mayorkas, the Senate is obliged to start a trial, but it can choose to dismiss the articles, end the trial, or refer the articles of impeachment to a committee.
