WASHINGTON: In a major blow to Republicans, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has survived an impeachment vote over the border security issue in the House of Representatives.

The lower chamber voted 214 to 216, with four Republicans defecting from their party and joining Democrats to vote against the impeachment of the Biden administration's top border official, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a letter to his colleagues, Rep. Tom McClintock of California argued that the GOP articles against Mayorkas stretched how the founders would define an impeachable offence, warning that Republicans would be setting a precedent that Democrats might use against them in the future.

Calling the impeachment an effort of "bad politics and bad policy", McClintock stressed that House Republicans were attempting to overstep boundaries by advocating for Mayorkas' removal from office for implementing President Joe Biden's border policies.

The articles of impeachment against Mayorkas accuse him of refusal to comply with the law and a breach of public trust.

If successful, this would be the first case of a cabinet official impeached in nearly 150 years.