US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Friday fired a majority of the advisory council’s members and according to US media reports, most of the members fired were strong Trump allies.

The independent council is made up of leaders from local and state governments, the private sector, academia and law enforcement. The members have a maximum term of three years and advise the Department of Homeland Security on issues like natural disasters, immigration, terrorism and crime. The council is unpaid, reported The Washington Post. 

Many of the members fired were veteran officials, who served under Democrats and Republicans, and were also allies of former president Donald Trump. 

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Former Homeland Security officials said they cannot remember a time when such a large number of council members were let go all at once. Generally, members are allowed to complete their term before being replaced. 

In a letter, Mayorkas wrote, “In the service of an orderly transition to a new model for the [Homeland Security Advisory Council], I have ended the term of current HSAC members. I will reconstitute the HSAC in the next few weeks, once the new model has been developed,” as reported by the Washington Post.  

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More than 30 board members were removed in an attempt to relieve the administration of Trump policies, particularly on immigration. 

An assessment may be conducted by Mayorkas as per DHS officials to reconstitute members from both parties who reflect the true diversity of the United States. 

The only original members of the council retained were William Bratton, Chairman of the council who was former police commissioner in New York and police chief in Los Angeles and William H Webster, former director of the FBI and the CIA, and a retired administrator of the Drug Enforcement and  AdministrationVice-Chair Karen P. Tandy. 

Many former members from the Obama administration and even the Trump administration were not re-appointed because they expressed resistance against controversial policies made by the previous president — like the “Muslim Ban”. 

John Katko, a senior Republican of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the secretary’s “action sends the message that this Administration has no intention of upholding a bipartisan, unifying approach to securing our homeland.”

In a statement, Katko added, “The HSAC is not intended to be an echo chamber for what the current DHS Secretary wants to hear. It’s an absolute shame that Secretary Mayorkas has removed these well-respected homeland security leaders who have dedicated their careers to strengthening our homeland security posture.”