The new DHS secretary is entering the role with a long list of pending tasks. He will play a key role in executing Biden’s immigration agenda, protecting the United States from threats of domestic terrorism and helping to coordinate the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. DHS, the country’s third largest federal department, also oversees emergency management and cyber and infrastructure security.
On Tuesday afternoon, Biden announced that Mayorkas would be the head of a task force to bring together separate families on the southern border under the Trump administration. As part of his new role, Mayorkas will also review the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols program, which has forced tens of thousands of people to stay in Mexico while their asylum cases are being processed.
He is the first DHS leader confirmed by the Senate since Kirstjen Nielsen was removed from office in April 2019. Acting Secretary Chad Wolf resigned shortly after the January 6 uprising on Capitol Hill. Wolf cited ongoing court decisions challenging the legality of his appointment to the post as one of the reasons for his departure.
Mayorkas is the first Latin and first immigrant to lead the department. He is a Cuban lawyer and one of the main architects of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He served as deputy secretary of DHS and director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services under President Barack Obama.
Senate Democrats and the Biden government pushed for Mayorkas to be confirmed for Biden’s inauguration, but it was delayed because of Republican resistance. Some Republicans maintained that there were several problems with their nomination, including a 2015 DHS inspector general report that concluded that the Mayorkas showed “an appearance of favoritism and special access” to certain visa recipients. Others criticized him more explicitly for his views – and Biden’s – on immigration.
“Mayorkas has not only pledged to undo the sensible protections put in place by the Trump administration that ended the dangerous capture and release policy, but his appointment is further proof that the Biden administration intends to follow a radical immigration agenda,” Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), A Cuban-American companion, said in a statement opposing Mayorkas’ confirmation.
Mayorkas received support from six Republican senators: Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkoswki of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Shelley Moore Captain of West Virginia and Mitt Romney of Utah.
Democrats and immigrant advocacy groups quickly hailed Mayorkas’ confirmation as the beginning of a new chapter in US immigration policy. Sergio Gonzales, interim executive director of the Immigration Hub, pointed out that Mayorkas’ previous DHS experience would help him a lot to make changes in the department.
“With Mayorkas in charge, DHS and the Biden administration must act immediately to undo Stephen Miller’s mass surveillance apparatus and prioritize legislation that creates a path for citizenship for millions of immigrants across the country, including essential workers, young immigrants and individuals with Temporary Protection Status, ”said Gonzales, referring to Trump’s former senior adviser.