(NewsNation) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is visiting the southern border despite facing impeachment hearings in Congress.

Mayorkas has always maintained the border issue isn’t a crisis but a challenge, and he has embarked on a visit to the Del Rio sector, where Eagle Pass, Texas, is located. Mayorkas is expected to meet with Border Patrol agents, who told NewsNation they have been encouraged to ask the secretary questions.

Mayorkas is also slated to meet with Border Patrol leadership and is likely to witness some migrants crossing over the border in real time.

This is one of several trips Mayorkas has made to the border, but officials in border states are continuing to call on the Biden administration to take more action to address the issues they are facing.

The number of crossings has dropped in January, down from record-setting numbers in December. That is somewhat expected, as migration patterns historically show a dip in numbers at the end of December through the first part of the year.

In Lukeville, Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has been asking Mayorkas for a response and reimbursement for handling the crisis from the federal government. So far, that hasn’t happened, but ports of entry in Lukeville, Eagle Pass, and some in Southern California have reopened after being closed for a month.

All this is happening as House Republicans move quickly to impeach Mayorkas, with hearings set to begin Wednesday.

It would be a historic event if Mayorkas were removed, as he would become the first cabinet secretary to be impeached in the last 150 years.