EXCLUSIVE — Vulnerable House Republicans are coming under fire by Democratic groups over the GOP’s plans to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas due to his handling of the southern border. 

The Democratic-aligned Congressional Integrity Project launched an ad campaign on Monday specifically targeting Republican lawmakers running for reelection in districts won by President Joe Biden in 2020 over the vote to charge Mayorkas with high crimes and misdemeanors. The ads accuse the House GOP of refusing to negotiate with Democrats on border policies and instead focusing on boosting former President Donald Trump’s reelection prospects. 

“MAGA Republicans have decried the situation at the border, calling it a crisis. But now they are walking away from a deal to fix it,” states the voice-over in the ad, which was first viewed by the Washington Examiner. “All because Donald Trump is afraid fixing the border will help Joe Biden. Instead of fixing the border, Republicans are pushing phony, evidence-free impeachment. Why? Because Donald Trump told them to.”

The ad refers to negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats to implement substantial border policy changes in exchange for increased military aid to Ukraine. Although the talks have been underway for weeks, plans for a finalized deal were thrown in doubt after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) purportedly suggested he would abandon the negotiations to defer any policy changes to Trump, who has opposed the emerging deal. 

McConnell later denied those rumors, telling Senate Republicans in a conference lunch last week that his views on the subject have not changed. 

Still, even if the Senate can finalize a border deal, its future in the House is unclear. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has already indicated the compromise agreement would be “dead on arrival” in the House, instead expressing support for Republicans to fast-track the impeachment of Biden’s top border official. 

The House Homeland Security Committee released its articles of impeachment against Mayorkas on Sunday, seeking to charge the DHS secretary with failure to uphold the law and a breach of public trust. 

The articles come just days before the committee is set to debate the charges on Tuesday morning, after which they will be brought to the full House for a vote. It’s not yet clear when they will be considered by the full chamber, but Johnson vowed it would be “as soon as possible.”  

If the resolution passes, Mayorkas would become the first Cabinet member to be impeached since 1876. However, the top Biden administration official would likely be acquitted by the Democratic-led Senate. 

The decision to move forward with impeachment comes after a yearlong investigation headed by Republicans into Mayorkas and his handling of the southern border. Democrats have decried those efforts, accusing their GOP counterparts of using impeachment as a political attack based on policy differences. 

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“Let us be clear — this bogus impeachment is as wrong as it is immoral, and it will blow up in their faces,” said Kyle Herrig, executive director of the Congressional Integrity Project, in a statement. “And if Republicans from swing districts and especially districts Biden won in 2020 think they can quietly support this nonsense without repercussions, they are as delusional as Donald Trump.”

The impeachment also comes as lawmakers in both parties turn their focus to the surge in immigration at the southern border ahead of the 2024 election. The matter has emerged as a top concern for voters, even ahead of the economy, according to primary election exit polls in Iowa and New Hampshire.