With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
A Cuban-American Immigrant Who Grew Up In LA May Be The Next DHS Secretary
Alejandro Mayorkas. (Roger L. Wollenberg/Getty Images)
President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate Alejandro Mayorkas, who grew up in L.A., to lead the Department of Homeland Security. If confirmed, he would be the first Latino and first immigrant to steer the massive bureaucracy responsible for border security and enforcing immigration laws.
Biden announced the pick today along with selections for several foreign policy and national security posts, including Secretary of State, United Nations ambassador, and more.
“Ali” Mayorkas grew up in Beverly Hills after his family fled Cuba for the U.S. when he was an infant. He graduated from Loyola Law School and made a name for himself in the 1990s as an Assistant U.S. Attorney working fraud cases. A 2000 Los Angeles Magazine profile recounts his successful prosecution of “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss for money laundering.
Sponsored message
Mayorkas rose to become U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, overseeing the federal government’s prosecution of drug cartels and white supremacists. He started the first Civil Rights Section in the office’s history aimed at investigating and prosecuting police misconduct and hate crimes.
“Ali's interest in vindicating the constitutional rights of those impacted by government action will serve him well and provide an important counterweight to what has been going on these past four years at DHS,” former federal prosecutor Michael Gennaco said in an email. Gennaco headed up the Civil Rights Section under Mayorkas.
In 2012, as head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Obama Administration, Mayorkas helped develop and implement the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals program that temporarily suspended deportation proceedings and granted work authorization to immigrants brought to the United States as kids.
He later served as Deputy DHS Secretary under Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
