WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement today ahead of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to become Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security:

“Alejandro Mayorkas is more than qualified to oversee the Department of Homeland Security, having spent a distinguished career in public service working on behalf of American families, including leading the development and implementation of DACA and ensuring that people seeking opportunity and refuge in the United States are treated with dignity. His own powerful family story of fleeing Cuba as an infant reminds us that our nation is strongest when we show moral leadership by welcoming immigrants, refugees, and people seeking asylum.

“It is absolutely critical that the Senate swiftly confirm Mayorkas to lead DHS. Just weeks after a white supremacist insurrectionist mob invaded Congress, coupled with the significant national security and public safety challenges facing our nation which have been made worse by the Trump Administration’s chaotic and cruel immigration policies, it is vital to have Senate confirmed leadership at DHS on Day 1 of the Biden Administration. Mayorkas has already been confirmed three times by the Senate for prior positions. We urge members on both sides of the aisle in the strongest possible terms to confirm him without delay.”