Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) voted to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as the next Secretary of Homeland Security.
“In the coming years, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be charged with addressing the rising national security threats—both at home and abroad—that our country faces, while at the same time implementing an immigration system that stays true to our values. The scars of the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrant communities are still fresh, and repairing the damage the last four years have done to DHS will be no easy task. I look forward to working with Secretary Mayorkas to address today’s pressing national security threats, safely and humanely secure our borders, and create an immigration system that works for our families in Nevada and across the country.”
Background:
Last month, Senator Cortez Masto met virtually with then-DHS Secretary nominee Alejandro Mayorkas. The Senator has been an advocate for immigrant communities in Nevada during her time in the Senate. In December, Senator Cortez Masto introduced her landmark immigration bill, the Fairness for Immigrant Families Act, aimed at updating important parts of our immigration system. She has introduced legislation to offer alternatives to detention for asylum seekers, migrant children and families, and other vulnerable groups. She led a bipartisan group of colleagues to ensure that mixed-status families could benefit from federal coronavirus relief funds. She has visited detention centers in Nevada and at the U.S.-Mexico border as well as advocated for humane treatment for detainees. She has also urged DHS officials to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling protecting DACA recipients.
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