The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed Cuban-born Alejandro Mayorkas as the next Secretary of Homeland Security, the first Hispanic and first immigrant to lead the department that oversees immigration and border issues.
The confirmation, on a modestly bipartisan vote of 57-43, comes as President Joe Biden takes steps to reverse some of predecessor Donald Trump’s hardline anti-immigration rules, and amid calls to implement reforms in border policies and the status of millions of undocumented migrants.
The 61-year-old Mayorkas, a former US attorney who was born in Havana and arrived in the United States as the infant son of refugees, held senior posts in the Department of Homeland Security during Barack Obama’s administration.
Earlier in the day, Secretary of Transportation nominee Pete Buttigieg was confirmed by the Senate, making him the first openly gay member of a White House cabinet.
