Alejandro Mayorkas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alejandro Mayorkas
Official portrait, 2021
7th United States Secretary of Homeland Security
In office February 2, 2021 – January 20, 2025
President	Joe Biden
Deputy	John Tien Kristie Canegallo (acting)
Preceded by	Kirstjen Nielsen David Pekoske (acting)
Succeeded by	Kristi Noem
6th United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
In office December 23, 2013 – October 28, 2016
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Jane Holl Lute
Succeeded by	Elaine Duke
Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
In office August 12, 2009 – December 23, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Emilio T. Gonzalez
Succeeded by	León Rodríguez
United States Attorney for the Central District of California
In office December 21, 1998 – April 20, 2001
President	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Preceded by	Nora Margaret Manella
Succeeded by	Debra Wong Yang
Personal details
Born	Alejandro Nicolas Mayorkas (1959-11-24) November 24, 1959 (age 65) Havana, Cuba
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Tanya Mayorkas
Children	2
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA) Loyola Marymount University (JD)

Alejandro Nicolas Mayorkas (born November 24, 1959) is an American lawyer and government leader. He served as the seventh United States Secretary of Homeland Security, from 2021 to 2025. This role involves protecting the United States from many threats.

Before this, Mayorkas was the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He also served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Mayorkas was born in Havana, Cuba. His family moved to Florida and then California when he was very young. He studied history at UC Berkeley and later earned a law degree. He worked as a lawyer for the government before taking on bigger roles.

In 2009, President Barack Obama chose Mayorkas to lead USCIS. There, he helped create the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He also helped rescue children after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He worked to help crime victims get special visas.

In 2020, President-elect Joe Biden nominated Mayorkas to be Secretary of Homeland Security. He was approved by the Senate in February 2021. He was the first person born in Latin America to lead this department.

Early Life and Education

Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas was born in Havana, Cuba, on November 24, 1959. When he was one year old, his family moved to the United States in 1960. They were refugees after the Cuban Revolution.

He first lived in Miami, Florida. Later, his family moved to Los Angeles, California, where he grew up. He attended Beverly Hills High School.

His father, Charles R. "Nicky" Mayorkas, was born in Cuba. His family had Jewish roots from different parts of the world. His mother, Anita (Gabor), was a Romanian Jew. Her family escaped the Holocaust and came to Cuba before moving to the U.S.

Mayorkas graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1985, he received his law degree from Loyola Law School.

Working as a Government Lawyer

After law school, Mayorkas worked as a private lawyer for three years. In 1989, he became an Assistant United States Attorney. He worked in the Central District of California.

He handled many federal crime cases. He became skilled in prosecuting financial crimes like tax evasion. He also worked on cases against large fraud operations.

From 1996 to 1998, Mayorkas led a section that trained new government lawyers. He received many awards for his work.

Leading as United States Attorney

In 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed Mayorkas as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California. He was the youngest person to hold this position at the time. He started this role on December 21, 1998.

He oversaw important criminal cases. These included cases against gangs and hate-motivated crimes.

Work in the Obama Administration (2009–2016)

Leading U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

In 2009, President Obama chose Mayorkas to be the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Senate approved his nomination in August 2009.

As USCIS director, Mayorkas worked to improve the process for people seeking U.S. citizenship. He helped create the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program quickly. He also led efforts to help orphaned children after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He helped create a unit to assist crime victims in getting visas.

Mayorkas received awards for his work at USCIS. These came from groups that support immigrants and refugees.

Serving as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security

In June 2013, President Obama nominated Mayorkas to be the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. He was approved in December 2013. This made him the first foreign-born person to hold this high position in the department.

As Deputy Secretary, Mayorkas helped lead the department's response to health crises. These included the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. He also focused on cybersecurity. He worked with other countries like Israel and China on cybersecurity agreements.

Mayorkas also helped with efforts against counterterrorism and cybercrime. He worked to improve morale among employees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Secretary of Homeland Security (2021–2025)

Mayorkas arrives at the DHS headquarters after becoming secretary, 2021

Mayorkas with Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked in Washington, D.C. on November 17, 2021

Mayorkas joins US President Joe Biden at FEMA Headquarters, 2023

Mayorkas met with Lee Sang-min, Republic of Korea Minister of the Interior and Safety

Becoming Secretary

On November 23, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced he would nominate Mayorkas. Many former secretaries supported his nomination. However, some senators opposed it.

Mayorkas was confirmed by the Senate on February 2, 2021. He was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris the same day. He is the first refugee and first person born in Latin America to lead the department.

Time as Secretary

Early in his term, there was a rise in encounters at the Mexico-United States border. In May 2021, Mayorkas created a task force. Its goal was to reunite families separated at the border during the previous administration. By early 2023, about 600 children had been reunited with their parents.

In October 2021, Mayorkas tested positive for COVID-19. He had mild symptoms and had to cancel a trip.

In September 2021, a photo showed Border Patrol agents using their horse reins. Some people thought it looked like they were whipping migrants. Mayorkas initially defended the agents. Later, he said he would investigate the actions. Emails later showed that Mayorkas had information that disproved the whipping claim.

From January 2021 through June 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported about 10 million encounters with people trying to enter the country. This included a record 2.2 million at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022.

Impeachment Efforts

Some members of the House of Representatives tried to impeach Mayorkas. They said he did not do his duty to control the border. In November 2023, a motion to impeach him failed.

In January 2024, new articles of impeachment were introduced. These accused him of not following the law. Many legal experts and Democrats said these were based on policy disagreements, not serious crimes. Former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff also said the impeachment was a "charade."

On February 6, 2024, the House voted against impeaching Mayorkas. However, on February 13, 2024, the House voted to impeach him. This was a very close vote. He was the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in 150 years.

On April 17, 2024, the U.S. Senate voted to dismiss the impeachment charges. They decided the charges were not constitutional. This ended the impeachment process without a trial.

Personal Life

Mayorkas is married to Tanya Mayorkas. They have two daughters. He enjoys running, tennis, and squash.

See also

In Spanish: Alejandro Mayorkas para niños

• List of Hispanic and Latino American United States Cabinet members
• List of Jewish United States Cabinet members