Republicans are officially sending articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas to the Democrat-run Senate. 

While Mayorkas faces small odds of conviction and removal from office, the impeachment will keep illegal immigration in the spotlight, putting Democrats on the defensive ahead of the 2024 election.

Mayorkas impeachment escalates

The articles of impeachment will be sent over on April 10, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) confirmed in a letter to Senate majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Ny.)

"If he cares about the Constitution and ending the devastation caused by Biden's border catastrophe, Senator Schumer will quickly schedule a full public trial and hear the arguments put forth by our impeachment managers," Johnson said in a statement.

Schumer has confirmed that senators will be sworn in on April 11.

The trial could be over quickly if Schumer moves to dismiss the charges, which he and other Democrats have already dismissed as bogus.

“I think there is no evidence that he’s committed any impeachable activities or actions, and I think it’s absurd,” Schumer said previously.

Mayorkas was impeached in February, becoming the first Cabinet official to face impeachment in 150 years.

Republicans have charged Mayorkas with refusing to uphold immigration law, as the southern border is overrun by a flood of illegal immigrants.

Putting Dems on defense

Like Joe Biden, Mayorkas has placed blame for the crisis on Republicans in Congress and their alleged refusal to help fix a "broken system."

For much of Biden's presidency, Mayorkas insisted the border was secure, even as illegal immigration repeatedly hit records.

The issue has become a liability for Democrats and Biden's re-election campaign, with a series of shocking crimes by foreign nationals grabbing media attention.

A Haitian national accused of raping a girl in Massachusetts was released into the U.S. through a parole program that Mayorkas praised as "safe and orderly."

While Schumer will defend Mayorkas seemingly at any cost, doing so could put Schumer's vulnerable Senate majority in greater jeopardy.

A vote to defend Mayorkas could play terribly for Democrats in pro-Trump states like Ohio and Montana, where Democrats Sherrod Brown and Jon Tester are facing competitive re-election fights.

“It’s a really, really bad issue for them,” a Senate Republican strategist told the Hill. “They’re caught between their base and what the majority of their state wants."