Democrats May Need a Mayorkas Impeachment Trial to Save Vulnerable Senators

In February, the House of Representatives successfully impeached Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a razor-thin vote of 214-213, making him the first cabinet official to be impeached since Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876.

Despite the successful impeachment in the House, a conviction in the Senate isn't likely to happen, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has refused to commit to even holding a trial. This week reports surfaced that he intends to schedule a vote on a motion to dismiss or a motion to table the charges against Mayorkas.

But the 2024 elections might complicate the matter with vulnerable Senate Democrats finding that the border crisis is an issue that could hurt their reelection chances.

Several Republican Senate sources told Fox News Digital they expect the pressure to ramp up for lawmakers such as Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Bob Casey, D-Penn., who face competitive re-election races in November.

Voters in each of the senators' states have indicated strong concerns over the state of the border.

Republican senators recently accused Tester of being unwilling to vote on border or immigration-related amendments during negotiations over the $1.2 trillion spending package that caused a brief partial government shutdown before being passed last month. Tester's office denied the claims.

One senior Republican Senate source predicted Tester would be similarly pushed during the impeachment trial procedure: "He’ll have to go on the record with it. No way out," the source said. They noted that Brown would also be put to the test in the Mayorkas trial.

One senior Republican Senate source predicted Tester would be similarly pushed during the impeachment trial procedure: "He’ll have to go on the record with it. No way out," the source said. They noted that Brown would also be put to the test in the Mayorkas trial.

Though the impeachment resolution was passed in February, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced last week that he would deliver the articles to the Senate on April 10. 

"Throughout his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas has repeatedly violated laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security," the impeachment resolution reads. "In large part because of his unlawful conduct, millions of aliens have illegally entered the United States on an annual basis with many unlawfully remaining in the United States. His refusal to obey the law is not only an offense against the separation of powers in the Constitution of the United States, [but] it also threatens our national security and has had a dire impact on communities across the country."

When the articles are formally delivered to the Senate, "all senators have to be sworn in as jurors and sign the book," a senior GOP source told Fox News. "We actually go into trial mode, but Schumer will put forward a vote to dismiss it."

It only takes a simple majority to go forward with the impeachment trial, and all the vulnerable Democratic senators will have to go on record. A vote against moving forward with the trial will give Republicans extra ammunition as they seek to unseat these vulnerable Democratic incumbents.