House votes — again — on impeachment of Homeland Security secretary. Here’s what you should know

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled House is set to vote Tuesday on whether to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

If they succeed, it would mark the first time in nearly 150 years that a Cabinet secretary has been impeached.

House Republicans have spent months investigating the secretary’s actions as they’ve aimed to make immigration and border security a key election issue.

Here’s a look at how the House arrived at the impeachment vote and what could happen next:

WAIT… DIDN’T THIS HAPPEN LAST WEEK?

Yes. House Republicans tried to impeach the secretary on Feb. 6 but failed. With Democrats united against the effort, Republicans needed every vote they could muster from their razor-thin majority. But in a rowdy, dramatic evening Republicans fell short with three Republicans voting against the measure. A fourth flipped his vote from yes to no in a tactical move that allowed the impeachment issue to be revisited so the final vote was 214-216.

But Republicans vowed to bring the impeachment vote back again.

WHAT’S GOING ON AT THE BORDER?

Migrants have long come across the southern U.S. border looking for a new life in the United States, but not like what’s happening now. Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico reached an all-time high in December. In fiscal year 2022, Border Patrol encountered 2.2 million people crossing the border illegally. You have to go back decades to see comparable numbers.

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