On Wednesday afternoon, senators will begin the impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. However, it is expected that the trial won’t look anything like the full Senate trials Donald Trump was subjected to in 2020 and 2021.

Senate Democrats led by New York’s Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are expected to move quickly to dismiss or toss the two articles of impeachment, which only require a simple majority. Republicans, meanwhile, want to prolong the process in order to make it as painful for the opposing party as possible.

Mayorkas cannot be convicted in any scenario. No one in the Senate has said that they support impeachment. Even some moderate Republicans are open to submitting the articles of impeachment after a debate. They argue that Mayorkas’ conduct is not impeachable.

The trial will be presided over by Senate President pro Tem Patty Murray (D-Washington). The trial will begin at 1 p.m. She and the other 99 senators will be sworn-in as jurors at 1 p.m. ET. A Senate source stated that both sides were trying to reach an agreement Tuesday on a process which could include limited debates and votes on Republican motions. Democrats, unlike the Trump trials which took more than two weeks to complete, could end the Mayorkas case as soon as Wednesday night.

The Alaska senator, Lisa Murkowski, is sceptical of the impeachment movement.

She said that “at a minimum, you need to have a process in place here.” If you simply move to the table, you are not only putting Republicans in a difficult position, but also setting a precedent for what we will do with future impeachments. Do we want to do that?

The 11 House GOP impeachment managers or prosecutors walked across Capitol Hill to the Senate chamber on Tuesday and handed over the two articles accusing Mayorkas for failing to enforce immigration and secure the border as well as lying under oath to Congress, including saying that the U.S.-Mexico border is “secure”.

The managers, after reading the articles in the Senate, joined conservative senators for a press conference. They demanded an impartial trial and claimed that a motion to dismiss the articles quickly would be unprecedented.

Mike Lee (R-Utah), who is leading the GOP’s push for a full investigation, has said that it would be acceptable if the Senate sent the articles to an impeachment special committee.

Lee said that although some senators would prefer a full-blown trial, both options are acceptable. He explained that a special committee conducts the trial, and after its completion, it is handed back to the Senate.

He said, “Either would be acceptable.”