Latino Secretary of Homeland Security Signals New Era for Immigration Policy

It is a historic week for immigrants and refugees with the confirmation of Cuban-born Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the anticipated issuance of a series of executive actions on immigration by President Joe Biden.

The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), a leading national coalition of 41 immigrant and refugee rights organizations, sent out a release offering their praise of the landmark confirmation of Mayorkas as the first Latino, first immigrant, and first child of Holocaust survivor refugees to become secretary of the federal agency tasked with implementing immigration law.

“NPNA extends our heartfelt congratulations to Alejandro Mayorkas on his historic confirmation as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As an immigrant himself, Mayorkas knows that immigrants are an essential piece of the fabric of our nation. We look forward to working with him to restore trust in our institutions and ensure that our nation is a welcoming home where everyone can feel safe, including immigrants and refugees,” said Eva Millona, CEO of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, and co-chair of NPNA’s Board of Directors.

Today’s executive actions will expand access to citizenship and re-establish the United States as a nation of refuge that treats newcomers humanely, regardless of the circumstances of their arrival to our borders and shores; order a review of all barriers to citizenship and legal immigration, including the public charge rule; set principles for the administration’s refugee policy; establish a task force to reunite families who were unfathomably separated at the U.S.-Mexico border; and take steps towards streamlining the naturalization process. The actions signal a much-needed rejection of the cruel policies instituted by the previous administration, and pave a path for meaningful and sustainable improvements to U.S. immigration policy.

Additionally, President Biden fulfilled a key campaign promise by re-establishing the Task Force on New Americans, a cross-agency effort within the White House to coordinate and advance the proactive inclusion of immigrants into the fabric of American society. As the Biden administration continues its work, immigrant communities are calling on our leadership in Washington to build on its initial immigration actions and proposals by taking additional critical steps to reform our nation’s broken immigration system in a sustainable and equitable manner.