A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Mia Ehrenberg, accused Republicans of spending their time “trampling on the constitution” instead of “working to solve the serious challenges at our border”.

Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said Mr Mayorkas “deserves to be impeached”. Over the course of two hearings in January, Republicans charged Mr Mayorkas with failing to enforce immigration policies and lying about the border’s security.

Democrat Al Green, of Texas, appeared unexpectedly after being wheeled into the chamber wearing hospital scrubs to vote against the impeachment. He had been in an emergency room having surgery.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also cast his vote after missing the last vote because of cancer treatment. His return gave Republicans the margin needed to secure the vote.

Impeachment – a process outlined in the US Constitution – marks the first step in removing a federal official for high crimes or misdemeanours. It requires a simple majority in the House, then a trial in the Senate. A two-thirds majority is needed for that to succeed.

The impeachment effort is unlikely to pass as the Senate is narrowly controlled by the Democrats.

The House is due to present the impeachment articles to the Senate on 26 February.

The last cabinet secretary to be impeached was Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, although he resigned shortly ahead of the vote.

A January poll conducted by CBS – the BBC’s US partner – suggests that nearly half of Americans view the situation at the border as a crisis, with 63% wanting “tougher” policies at the border.

The US Customs and Border Protection agency on Tuesday said border crossings were down 50% in January, attributing the dramatic drop to “seasonal trends, as well as enhanced enforcement efforts”.