Alejandro Mayorkas
Secretary of Homeland Security
Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas was born in November 1959 in Havana, Cuba. He came to the U.S. as an infant with his family, living in both Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of California Berkeley and received his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School. He was a litigator in private practice.
He served nearly two and a half years as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California during the administrations of President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. President Obama named him the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and he served there until his nomination as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, a position he held during the remainder of President Obama’s administration. He then returned to private practice in Washington, D.C.
In November 2020, president-elect Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Mayorkas to be Secretary of Homeland Security. He was confirmed by the Senate in a 56-43 vote and sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris in early February 2021.
Mayorkas and his wife, Tanya, have two daughters. He is Jewish.
In the News…
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that his department is nearly doubling the amount of H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for Fiscal Year 2025. In addition to the annual 66,000 mandated by Congress and in collaboration with the Department of Labor, DHS intends the additional 64,716 visas to address labor shortages in industries such as hospitality, landscaping, and seafood processing.
“The Department of Homeland Security is committed to further growing our nation’s strong economy,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “By maximizing the use of the H-2B visa program, the Department of Homeland Security is helping to ensure the labor needs of American businesses are met, keeping prices down for consumers while strengthening worker protections and deterring irregular migration to the United States.”
The visas will go to workers from Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Secretary Mayorkas today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary
Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Washington, DC 20528-0525
