Senate Expected to Confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Homeland Security Secretary

The Senate is expected to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Homeland Security secretary today, giving the department its first Senate-confirmed leader since spring of 2019. 

Mayorkas was one of President Biden’s earliest announced cabinet nominees, and would be the first immigrant to head the Department of Homeland Security. Once confirmed, Mayorkas would have direct oversight of USCIS, which manages the EB-5 program.

Mayorkas previously served under the Obama administration as director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from 2009 to 2013, and as Homeland Security deputy secretary from 2013 to 2016. While serving as head of USCIS Mayorkas oversaw, and was an advocate for, the EB-5 immigrant investor program. Under his leadership the program exploded in popularity and the number of applicants dramatically increased. In response to the growing case load, Mayorkas implemented new policies at USCIS to ensure that standards for evaluating EB-5 applications were consistent and fair. These policies helped ensure the growth of the EB-5 program, and after their implementation, USCIS was able to issue more EB-5 visas than ever.

Although Democrats hoped to have Mayorkas confirmed sooner, Republicans stalled his nomination with a filibuster. However, several Republicans, including Utah Senator Mitt Romney, broke party lines last week, voting with Democrats to end the filibuster and advance Mayorkas’ confirmation. The vote for Mayorkas confirmation was scheduled for Monday, but was postponed until today after Washington was hit by a snowstorm. Barring any unforeseen delay, the Senate will vote to confirm Mayorkas later today.

Mayorkas has already announced that immigration policy will be a top priority, and he will certainly be a valuable addition to Biden’s administration. With his years of experience directing the bureaucracy of US immigration, Mayorkas will undoubtedly play an important role in implementing Biden’s immigration plan. 

With the EB-5 Regional Center program set to expire on June 30, 2021, Mayorkas, as incoming head of the Department of Homeland Security, will be an important ally in the fight to reform and permanently reauthorize the EB-5 Regional Center program.