Alejandro Mayorkas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alejandro Mayorkas
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| 7th United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| Assumed office February 2, 2021 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | David Pekoske (acting) |
| Preceded by | Kirstjen Nielsen |
| 6th United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| In office December 23, 2013 – October 28, 2016 |
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| 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 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Scharfen (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Lori Scialabba (acting) |
| United States Attorney for the Central District of California |
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| In office December 21, 1998 – April 20, 2001 |
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| President | Bill Clinton George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Nora Margaret Manella |
| Succeeded by | Debra Wong Yang |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas
November 24, 1959 Havana, Cuba |
| Spouse(s) | Tanya |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Loyola Marymount University (JD) |
Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas (born November 24, 1959) is an American lawyer and government official serving as the seventh United States Secretary of Homeland Security. During the Obama administration, he served in the Department of Homeland Security, first as Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (2009–2013) and then as Deputy Secretary (2013–2016).
Born in Havana, Cuba, his family fled shortly after the Cuban Revolution to Florida and later settled in California. After law school, Mayorkas worked as an Assistant United States Attorney and was appointed the United States attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles during the administration of President Bill Clinton.
In 2016, Mayorkas became a partner at the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, in their Washington, D.C. office. President Joe Biden nominated Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security in his Cabinet. On February 2, 2021, Mayorkas was confirmed by the Senate on a 56–43 vote, with bipartisan support but significant Senate Republican opposition. He is the first immigrant and first Latino to lead the department.
Images for kids
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Mayorkas sworn in as Secretary of Homeland Security on February 2, 2021
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Mayorkas arrives at DHS headquarters following his swearing-in as Secretary of Homeland Security
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