Alejandro Mayorkas
Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Alejandro Mayorkas was sworn in as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Secretary (DHS) on February 2, 2021.
Mayorkas is the first Latino and immigrant confirmed to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. Mayorkas served as the DHS Deputy Secretary 2013 to 2016, and as the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009 to 2013. During his tenure at DHS, he led the development and implementation of DACA, negotiated cybersecurity and homeland security agreements, led the Department’s response to Ebola and Zika, and helped build and administer the Blue Campaign to combat human trafficking.
Mayorkas began his government service in the Department of Justice, where he served as an Assistant United States Attorney, and later the youngest U.S. Attorney, in the Central District of California. Mayorkas received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a law degree from Loyola Law School.