The Lower House of the United States approved this Tuesday to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, for his management of the border with Mexico. After the failed vote on February 6, that chamber, with a Republican majority, this time gave its approval to that process by 214 votes in favor and 213 against.

Mayorkas, US President Joe Biden’s immigration chief, is accused of “breach of public trust” and “systematic and deliberate refusal to comply with the law”but the last word lies with the Senate, under Democratic control.

Republican Congressmen Ken Buck, Mike Gallagher and Tom McClintock voted against the resolution, in addition to the entire Democratic caucus as a whole. Also part of the vote was Republican Congressman Steve Scalise, who did not attend last week’s session due to health problems and this time he was present at the plenary session. The minimal approval this Tuesday comes after a week ago the Republicans, who are the majority in the House, did not gather enough votes to approve the impeachment trial against Mayorkas, with a surprising result of 214 votes in favor and 216 in favor. against.

It’s about the first time that the Lower House has sent a Government secretary to impeachment in almost 150 years. To date, the only time it has occurred was in 1876, when then-Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached but later acquitted by the Senate.

Following tonight’s vote, United States President Joe Biden deplored the “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship” who has targeted an honorable public servant to play petty political games.” He alluded to last week’s failed vote against Mayorkas, a Cuban immigrant who came to the United States with his family as a political refugee and has a “decorated career” of more than of two decades of public service. “Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to provide more border resources and stronger border security,” Biden added.

For his part, the Speaker of the Lower House, Republican Mike Johnsonstated that since his first day in office Mayorkas has deliberately and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, “fueling the worst border catastrophe in US history”, as confirmed by the investigation of a congressional committee. In turn, the congressional minority leader, Democrat Kartherine Clark, pointed out that today’s “shameful vote” reflects that House Republicans “have never cared about border security, only cowardly political games.” .

The political trial of Mayorkas unlikely to succeed, given that after today’s vote the impeachment passes to the Senate, where two-thirds of the votes are required and the Democrats hold the majority. In the Upper House, a simple majority is even enough for the impeachment trial to not even be put to a vote, a scenario already contemplated by some Democratic senators.