“Seeing the insurrection, the horrible acts of January 6, were not only personally devastating, but they created a commitment in me to redouble our efforts, to fight hatred and to combat one of the greatest threats we currently face in our homeland, which is the threat of domestic terrorism, “Mayorkas said in an interview with Ana Cabrera of CNN, which aired on” The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer “.
Mayorkas, who took an oath on Tuesday, is the first Secretary of Homeland Security confirmed by the Senate in almost two years and will oversee the department’s broad mission, which includes cybersecurity, immigration and response to Covid-19, among many others. He is the first Latin and immigrant to head the department.
Mayorkas stressed that the threat of domestic terrorism “is persistent” and said the department will continue to work with its state and local partners to combat it. The secretary acknowledged that one of the challenges is to identify “where the line between hateful rhetoric and hateful action occurs”.
The concern was reiterated by the department’s deputy deputy secretary, David Pekoske, who said on Wednesday that violent domestic extremism is a “particular area of concern” during the Super Bowl weekend, speaking at a news conference with NFL and other law enforcement officials.
The Department of Homeland Security is also at the forefront of responding to the coronavirus pandemic and helping to reinforce the use of masks.
On Sunday, the department said workers at the Transportation Security Administration have the authority to enforce President Joe Biden’s transportation mask mandate at TSA checkpoints and throughout the commercial and public transportation system.
“The application of these guidelines is, frankly, a challenge. We count, at least in part, on the voluntary obedience of the American public. Let the very number of deaths be a mandate for people to wear masks, to distance themselves properly, the care that are needed to protect each other’s health and well-being, ”he told CNN.
Immigration
The mandatory use of masks is one of the ways the Biden government has differentiated itself from the previous government, including the way the government is addressing immigration.
Mayorkas, who established an empathic tone, told CNN on Wednesday: “The cruelty of the previous government has ended.”
The secretary will chair the task force aimed at reuniting separated families on the border of the United States with Mexico. Mayorkas seemed to choke when asked what went on in his mind when he heard the screams of children who had been taken from their parents during the Trump administration.
“I am a father. I am a husband. I am a son. I am a brother. I have never heard pain as acute and painful as this, and it is our commitment to ensure that the pain is not felt again,” he said.
During his presidential campaign, Biden pledged to create a task force focused on identifying and reunifying separated families on the U.S.-Mexico border under the Trump administration’s controversial “zero tolerance” policy. The new government task force – announced on Tuesday – stems from that promise.
He will be tasked with identifying all children separated from their parents or legal guardians on the southern border, facilitating and enabling reunification of children with their families, and providing regular reports to the President, including one containing recommendations.
“Our responsibility is to bring families together and support and facilitate their healing,” said Mayorkas, adding that this could include health care and the use of authorities in the immigration system.
The creation of the task force was one of a series of executive immigration orders signed on Tuesday. The orders largely drive policy reviews and do not have an immediate impact, as far as immigration advocates and lawyers fighting for answers about the future of migrants subject to Trump-era policies.
Mayorkas said he is involved in discussions about the end of Trump-era politics, which requires migrants, some seeking asylum in the U.S., to wait in Mexico until the trial date. Thousands are still waiting in misery and often in dangerous conditions.
“The urgency of this also cannot be overstated,” he said.