Biden to Tap First Latino as Head of DHS

Joe Biden intends to nominate the first Latino ever as head of the Department of Homeland Security. 

Alejandro Mayorkas was previously the deputy secretary of DHS in Barack Obama’s administration and director of Citizenship and Immigration Services. If Mayorkas becomes the new DHS head, he will govern the third-largest agency in the US, that was founded after the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks.

The US immigration system has been fundamentally changed by President Trump’s administration, involving more than 400 executive actions. Among these were the refugees’ entry refusal and certain travel restrictions. Joe Biden's administration, if transitioned into power, is expected to change immigration rules during the first 100 days of their governance.

Alejandro Mayorkas (61) was born in Havana, but his family emigrated when he was a baby. On Monday, Mayorkas wrote on Twitter that “the United States provided my family and me a place of refuge” and through his nomination for a DHS Secretary, he oversees “the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.”

According to Sen. Bob Menendez, also a Cuban American, Alejandro Mayorkas is a “smart and natural pick” for a DHS head and “He has the subject matter experience to take on the enormous job of cleaning up after the disastrous and inhuman immigration policies that have torn lives and families apart under the Trump administration.”

Additionally, the ex-chairman of the American Conservative Union and Florida GOP Al Cardenas tweeted: “This is it. The change we needed, hallelujah.”