WASHINGTON - The Senate has voted to kill impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, sparing him a trial in the chamber.

It was the first time in almost 150 years, and only the second time in US history, the Senate had considered the impeachment of a cabinet secretary.

If two-thirds of the chamber had approved, Mayorkas would have been removed from office.

He was accused of refusing to enforce immigration law.

Mayorkas was also charged by the US House of Representatives with breaching "the public trust" by making false statements during congressional testimony.

In twin, near-party line votes on Wednesday, senators dismissed the two articles of impeachment filed by the House two months ago.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer had proposed a process by which Republicans would be allowed to make speeches and offer procedural motions before Democrats would forge ahead with in a vote to dismiss the charges.

When Republicans objected, demanding a full trial on the merits of the Mayorkas case, Schumer, a New York Democrat, moved to force a vote that effectively dismissed the first impeachment charge.

The Republicans made several unsuccessful attempts to delay the vote, which were blocked by the 51 Democrats in the chamber.

In the end, all Democrats voted to dismiss the first impeachment charge.

All but one of the 49 Republicans objected, with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski abstaining.

The process repeated itself with the second impeachment charge, although Murkowski joined her Republican colleagues.

The chamber then voted 51-49 to formally end the impeachment trial proceedings less than four hours after the 100 senators took the oath to serve as jurors.

Republicans had hoped to use the impeachment trial to call attention to what they have characterized as the failings of the Biden administration's immigration policy and the surge of undocumented migrants who have crossed the US-Mexico border in recent years.

"This is the least legitimate, least substantive and most politicized impeachment trial ever in the history of the United States," Schumer said.

"Impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements."

Public opinion polls show that immigration is one of the top issues concerning American voters in advance of November's presidential and congressional elections. (Source: BBC News)

Story Date: April 18, 2024