U.S. House transmits articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary to Senate

The Republican-led House of Representatives has officially sent impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Democrat-controlled Senate, setting the stage for a contentious trial over the secretary's handling of the ongoing border crisis.

The House managers, led by Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), presented the impeachment resolution in the Senate chamber on Tuesday.

WATCH: House impeachment managers deliver articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the U.S. Senate. pic.twitter.com/dNCsJ3Qgeu

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The trial is slated to begin on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET, with senators being sworn in as jurors and Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-WA) presiding over the proceedings. However, GOP lawmakers are concerned that Democrats, who have long dismissed the impeachment inquiry as a "political stunt," may attempt to cut the process short before a vote on Mayorkas' conviction or acquittal, the Daily Wire reported.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has not yet indicated whether there will be an effort to table or dismiss the impeachment charges. Last week, Schumer stated that the Senate is "ready to go whenever the House is" and that they want to address the issue "as expeditiously as possible." He also criticized the use of impeachment to settle policy disagreements, calling it an "awful precedent."

House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), are demanding a full trial, with Johnson labeling Mayorkas the "worst" Cabinet secretary in U.S. history. Forty-three GOP senators have signed a letter urging the Senate to "uphold its constitutional responsibility to properly adjudicate" the impeachment articles, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has vowed to "strenuously oppose any effort" to table the charges.

The House narrowly passed two impeachment articles in February, accusing Mayorkas of "willfully and systemically" refusing to comply with federal immigration laws and alleging that he "breached the public trust" with false statements and obstruction of oversight.

Mayorkas has denied the accusations against him, and a DHS spokesperson criticized House Republicans for "trampling on the Constitution for political gain."

A two-thirds vote is required for conviction and removal from office, which appears unlikely given the Senate's current composition of 49 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and three independents who caucus with the Democrats. Additionally, not all Republican senators favor the impeachment effort, with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) expressing doubts about whether the constitutional standard for impeachment has been met, per Axios.