The US Constitution’s standard for impeachment is “high crimes and misdemeanours”.
Mr Mayorkas faced two articles of impeachment arguing that he “wilfully and systematically” refused to enforce existing immigration laws and that he breached the public trust by misrepresenting the state of the border.
It came after a failed effort last week in which three Republican congressmen broke ranks to vote against impeaching Mr Mayorkas.
The same three joined with Democrats in opposition again on Tuesday night, warning that it risked turning the most severe Constitutional penalty vested in Congress into “a partisan game”.
However, the return of the Republican House majority leader Steve Scalise following treatment for cancer, and the unavoidable absence of two Democrats from the chamber, delivered the GOP enough votes to carry the measure.
Republicans have focused on the border crisis as a 2024 campaign issue, but the party is divided over how to address the record numbers that have arrived at America’s southern border.
Last week, a Republican co-authored bipartisan deal to impose the harshest restrictions on immigration in decades and allocate $20 billion bolster on border security was rejected by GOP hardliners.
