House Republicans are reportedly strategizing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas early this year, making him potentially the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years. The push for Mayorkas' impeachment comes as key swing-district Republicans express newfound openness to the idea amid a recent surge of migrant crossings at the southern border.

The House GOP initially had its sights set on potentially impeaching President Joe Biden in 2024, but with the Biden probe moving gradually and a number of Republicans still skeptical about impeaching the president, senior Republicans now believe targeting Mayorkas will be a more attainable goal, as the border crisis becomes a defining campaign issue.

The plan, as revealed by multiple GOP lawmakers and aides, is to run the Mayorkas impeachment effort entirely through the House Homeland Security Committee instead of the House Judiciary Committee, where impeachment articles typically originate. This strategy has reportedly been approved by House Speaker Mike Johnson and is primarily driven by internal politics. Senior Republicans are confident that they will have the necessary votes to advance impeachment articles through the Homeland Security Committee, while there are still Republican holdouts on the judiciary panel.

The decision to house the impeachment effort in the Homeland Security Committee is also an attempt to appease firebrand GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who serves on the panel and had threatened to force another snap floor vote on a Mayorkas impeachment resolution. In November, the House had already referred Greene's initial Mayorkas impeachment resolution to the Homeland Security Committee, which has jurisdiction over border security issues and had conducted a months-long investigation into problems at the southern border.

With the Judiciary Committee already occupied with other investigations, lawmakers feel it is more practical to have the Homeland Security Committee take the lead, as they aim to capitalize on the border crisis with the Biden administration struggling to contain it.

Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, who has accused Mayorkas of failing to enforce existing immigration laws and violating his oath to uphold the Constitution, stated that he plans to move on impeachment quickly. Green anticipates minimal hearings, as he has already conducted several during his investigation into the southern border. The first impeachment hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, will likely summarize his probe and feature witnesses.

While Republicans argue that Mayorkas' policies are harming Americans and defying the law, Democrats and constitutional experts assert that policy disputes do not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. Democrats acknowledge that the current immigration system is broken and the border has been overwhelmed due to increased global migration, but they strongly reject the notion that the border is "open" or that Mayorkas has violated any laws.

The Department of Homeland Security reports that 1.4 million individuals encountered at the border were removed in fiscal year 2022, more than in any previous year. The agency has also seized more fentanyl and made more arrests for fentanyl-related crimes in the last two years than in the previous five years combined.

The border crisis has unified Republicans, rallying them for more aggressive action on an issue central to the 2024 campaign. While eight Republicans had voted with Democrats to thwart an effort to impeach Mayorkas in November, some of those members have indicated they would support impeaching him if it goes through the committee process.

Although the outcome is uncertain given the House GOP's slim majority and Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado's concerns about setting a "dangerous" precedent, Republicans believe that targeting Mayorkas will satisfy the base's growing demands to hold the administration accountable.

As the impeachment effort gains momentum, the Homeland Security Committee will play a crucial role, and Republicans are leaning on GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, who represents a key swing district along the southern border, to help sway the remaining moderate holdouts to support Mayorkas' impeachment.