# Alejandro Mayorkas Biden's Secretary of Homeland Security (2021–2025), and the target of the first cabinet impeachment in 148 years. ## Why he matters here In **February 2024 the House impeached Mayorkas** on two articles alleging "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and breach of public trust at the southern border — the first cabinet officer impeached since [[William Belknap]] in 1876. The vote was 214–213, and it followed a failed first attempt days earlier. **The Senate never held a trial.** In April 2024 it disposed of both articles on points of order by simple-majority votes, holding that neither article alleged a constitutional high crime or misdemeanor. The precedent matters more than the man: it establishes that **a Senate majority can bury an impeachment without ever reaching the two-thirds question** — a kill switch available to whichever party controls the chamber, and one that cuts in both directions. Structurally: it converts an impeachment from a trial into a floor motion. ## See also - [[Impeachment and Removal Process Flow]] — where the Mayorkas disposal sits in the machinery - [[Department of Homeland Security]] - [[William Belknap]]