Alejandro Mayorkas

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Alejandro Mayorkas
Image of Alejandro Mayorkas

Nonpartisan

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

3

Predecessor


Alejandro "Ali" Mayorkas is the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security in the Biden administration.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Mayorkas on February 2, 2021, by a vote of 56-43. Mayorkas, the 14th secretary since the department was created in 2002, is the first Latino and immigrant to hold the position.[1][2][3]

Mayorkas was born in Havana, Cuba, and grew up in Los Angeles, California.[4] Mayorkas holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a law degree from Loyola Law School.[5] In 1999, President Bill Clinton (D) appointed Mayorkas U.S. attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. From 2016 to 2020, Mayorkas worked for D.C. law firm WilmerHale as a partner.[6]

Mayorkas served as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under President Barack Obama (D).[2] Mayorkas oversaw the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a policy providing legal protections like work authorization to individuals brought to into the country without legal permission as children.[7][8]

Following the news of his nomination, Mayorkas said, "When I was very young, the United States provided my family and me a place of refuge. Now, I have been nominated to be the DHS Secretary and oversee the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.”[9]

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security enforces federal immigration laws and conducts anti-terrorism and cybersecurity operations. As secretary, Mayorkas oversees several agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service, and more.

On April 17, 2024, the U.S. Senate dismissed two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas. In two votes along party lines, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing the motions, the Senate voted that the allegations in the articles of impeachment did not meet the definition of high crimes and misdemeanors. The U.S. House previously voted 214-213 to approve the articles on February 13, 2024. This was the first time the U.S. House voted to approve articles of impeachment against a Cabinet secretary since 1876, when the House impeached Secretary of War William Belknap.[10]

Biography

Mayorkas, born in Cuba, immigrated to the United States as a refugee in 1960. He received a bachelor's degree with distinction from the University of California at Berkeley and a J.D. from the Loyola Law School. He worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of California for nearly a decade. He then became a U.S. attorney—the youngest in the country—and tried cases involving financial fraud, public corruption, and violent crime.[2][11]

He served in the Obama administration as the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009 to 2013. He moved to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2016, where he served as the deputy secretary and helped implement the DACA program.[2]

Mayorkas then returned to private practice, working at O'Melveny & Myers and then WilmerHale. His specialties were strategic counseling and crisis management.[2]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Mayorkas' academic, professional, and political career:[12][13][14]

  • 2021-Present: Secretary of homeland security
  • 2016-2020: Partner, WilmerHale
  • 2013: Appointed deputy secretary of homeland security
  • 2009: Appointed director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
  • 2001-2009: Partner, O'Melveny & Myers
  • 1998: Appointed U.S. attorney for the Central District of California
  • 1989-1998: Became an assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of California
  • 1985: Received J.D. from Loyola Law School
  • 1981: Received B.A. from University of California, Berkeley

Nomination for U.S. secretary of homeland security

See also: Joe Biden presidential transition and Confirmation process for Alejandro Mayorkas for secretary of homeland security
Joe Biden's Cabinet
Candidate: Alejandro Mayorkas
Position: Secretary of Homeland Security
ApprovedaAnnounced:November 23, 2020
ApprovedaHearing:January 19, 2021
ApprovedaCommittee:Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
ApprovedaReported:Favorable (7-4)
ApprovedaConfirmed:February 2, 2021
ApprovedaVote:56-43

The Biden Transition announced on November 23, 2020, that Mayorkas would be nominated for U.S. secretary of homeland security.[2]

CBS News reported, "Mayorkas' selection signals that the incoming Biden administration will prioritize immigration policy, which DHS typically enacts and implements, along with the Justice Department."[15]

Mayorkas said during his confirmation hearing, "The Department of Homeland Security is, fundamentally, a department of partnerships. To combat the threat of terrorism, the Department must work with our international partners, other federal agencies, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and our Nation's noble first responders. To enhance our cybersecurity, the Department depends upon and must strengthen its cooperation with the private sector. ... To meet the challenges and opportunities of migration, it needs to collaborate with other nations, international organizations, and non-profit service providers. To succeed, the Department must work with the many communities it serves."[16]

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held Mayorkas' confirmation hearing on January 19, 2021. The Senate confirmed Mayorkas on February 2, 2021, by a vote of 56-43. Mayorkas is first Latino to hold this position.[2][17]

Summary of Senate vote on Alejandro Mayorkas' nomination for secretary of homeland security (February 2, 2021)
Party Votes for Votes against Not voting
Democratic Party Democrats 48 0 0
Republican Party Republicans 6 43 1
Grey.png Independents 2 0 0
Totals 56 43 1


Click on the following table to view the full roll call.

Noteworthy events

House vote in favor of articles of impeachment against Alejandro Mayorkas (2024)

See also: Impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, 2024

On April 17, 2024, the U.S. Senate dismissed two articles of impeachment against U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. In two votes along party lines, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing the motions, the Senate voted that the allegations in the articles of impeachment did not meet the definition of high crimes and misdemeanors.[18]

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas on February 13, 2024. The vote was 214-213, with 214 Republicans voting in favor. Three Republicans, Reps. Michael Gallagher (R-Wis.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), and 210 Democrats voted against impeachment. This was the second time the articles of impeachment were put up for a vote, following a failed vote on February 6, 2024. The House transmitted the articles of impeachment to the U.S. Senate on April 16, 2024.

The articles of impeachment alleged that Mayorkas "willfully and systemically refused to comply with the immigration laws, failed to control the border to the detriment of national security, compromised public safety, and violated the rule of law and separation of powers in the Constitution" and breached the public trust "by knowingly making false statements to Congress and the American people and avoiding lawful oversight in order to obscure the devastating consequences of his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and carry out his statutory duties."[19]

Mayorkas responded to the House Committee on Homeland Security's vote to approve the impeachment articles, saying, "I assure you that your false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me from the law enforcement and broader public service mission to which I have devoted most of my career and to which I remain devoted."[20]

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced the articles of impeachment on November 13, 2023. The articles were amended by the House Committee on Homeland Security, and passed the committee in a vote along party lines, with all Republicans voting in favor, on January 31, 2024.[19]

This was the first time the House voted on articles of impeachment against a Cabinet secretary since 1876. In 1876, Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached for "criminally disregarding his duty as Secretary of War and basely prostituting his high office to his lust for private gain."[21][22]

Tested positive for coronavirus on October 19, 2021

See also: Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021
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Coronavirus pandemic
Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.


On October 19, 2021, Mayorkas announced he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was fully vaccinated at the time he contracted the virus.[23]

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Washington Post, "Biden picks Alejandro Mayorkas, a son of Jewish Cuban refugees, to lead the Department of Homeland Security," November 23, 2020
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Biden-Harris Transition, "President-Elect Biden Announces Key Members of Foreign Policy and National Security Team," November 23, 2020
  3. ↑ Politico, "Mayorkas confirmed as secretary of Homeland Security," February 2, 2021
  4. ↑ NPR, "Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's Pick For DHS Head, Would Be 1st Latino In Post," November 23, 2020
  5. ↑ Department of Homeland Security, "Alejandro Mayorkas," accessed January 11, 2024
  6. ↑ National Law Journal, "Wilmer's Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden Pick for DHS, Reveals $3.3M Partner Share," January 8, 2021
  7. ↑ Axios, "Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed as DHS secretary," February 2, 2021
  8. ↑ Bloomberg Government, "DACA Creator Mayorkas Tops Biden Homeland Secretary Speculation," October 27, 2020
  9. ↑ The Washington Post, "Biden picks Alejandro Mayorkas, a son of Jewish Cuban refugees, to lead the Department of Homeland Security," November 23, 2020
  10. ↑ U.S. Senate, "Impeachment Trial of Secretary of War William Belknap, 1876," accessed January 16, 2024
  11. ↑ ABC News, "Meet the Cuban Immigrant Who Could Run Homeland Security," July 25, 2013
  12. ↑ Department of Homeland Security, "Alejandro Mayorkas," accessed February 10, 2021
  13. ↑ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, "Alejandro Mayorkas," accessed February 10, 2021
  14. ↑ Sen. Dianne Feinstein, "Feinstein Remarks on Mayorkas Nomination to be DHS Secretary," January 27, 2021
  15. ↑ CBS News, "Biden taps Alejandro Mayorkas as first immigrant to lead Homeland Security," November 23, 2020
  16. ↑ CNN, "Read: Excerpts from Biden's DHS pick Alejandro Mayorkas' opening statement," January 19, 2021
  17. ↑ Politico, "Mayorkas confirmed as secretary of Homeland Security," February 2, 2021
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named senate41724
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Congress.gov, "H.Res.863 - Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors." accessed February 6, 2024
  20. ↑ Axios, "Mayorkas mounts 11th-hour defense against GOP impeachment effort," January 30, 2024
  21. ↑ Associated Press, "House Republicans are ready to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. Vote will be close," February 6, 2024
  22. ↑ Senate.gov, "Impeachment Trial of Secretary of War William Belknap, 1876," accessed February 6, 2024
  23. ↑ Politico, "DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tests positive for Covid," October 19, 2021

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David Pekoske 		U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
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