Biden picks first Latino to lead Homeland Security
By Rafael Bernal - 11/23/20 03:10 PM EST
President-elect Biden is naming Alejandro Mayorkas as the next secretary of the Homeland Security Department, the first Latino to lead the department at the center of immigration policy.
Hispanic community advocates and immigration activists praised the selection, saying Mayorkas is a homeland security professional with personal empathy for immigrants.
“We are thrilled with President-elect Biden’s historic selection of Alejandro Mayorkas to lead the Department of Homeland Security," said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center.
"This represents an exemplary choice that will not only serve our next president, and the American people well, but also sends a strong signal to immigrant communities that the Biden administration fully intends to follow through on their commitment to undo the harms of the Trump administration," added Hincapié.
Mayorkas, 60, is a lawyer best known for his stints as director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and as deputy secretary of Homeland Security, the number two spot at the agency.
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https://thehill.com/latino/527221-biden-picks-first-latino-to-lead-homeland-security