Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 16:02, 30 April 2022

Alejandro Mayorkas
7th United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Incumbent
Assumed office February 2, 2021
President	Joe Biden
Deputy	John Tien
Preceded by	Kirstjen Nielsen
6th United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
In office December 23, 2013 – October 28, 2016
President	Barack Obama
Secretary	Jeh Johnson
Preceded by	Jane Holl Lute
Succeeded by	Elaine Duke
Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
In office August 12, 2009 – December 23, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Emilio T. Gonzalez
Succeeded by	León Rodríguez
United States Attorney for the Central District of California
In office December 21, 1998 – April 20, 2001
President	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Preceded by	Nora Margaret Manella
Succeeded by	Debra Wong Yang
Personal details
Born	Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas (1959-11-24) November 24, 1959 (age 65) Havana, Cuba
Spouse	Tanya Mayorkas
Children	2
Residences	District of Columbia, U.S. Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA) Loyola Marymount University (JD)

Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas (born November 24, 1959) is a Cuban-American government official and attorney who has served as the seventh United States secretary of homeland security since February 2, 2021. During the Obama administration, he also served in the Department of Homeland Security, first as director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (2009–2013), and then as deputy secretary of DHS (2013–2016).

Mayorkas was born in Havana, Cuba. Shortly after the Cuban Revolution his family fled to Florida and later settled in California. He graduated from UC Berkeley in history with honors, subsequently earning his J.D. from Loyola Marymount University. After law school, Mayorkas worked as an Assistant United States Attorney and was appointed the United States attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles during the administration of President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, where he oversaw the prosecution of high-profile criminal cases.

Mayorkas was a member of the presidential transition team for Barack Obama before he assumed office in January 2009, where he led the team responsible for the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division. Mayorkas was appointed by President Obama as the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On May 20, 2009, the nomination was received by the Senate; on August 7, 2009, the nomination was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote. As USCIS director, Mayorkas led United States citizenship through management efficiencies and fiscal responsibility, and safeguarded the integrity of the immigration system. He implemented the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process in sixty days. He led U.S. government efforts to rescue orphaned children following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti and led the advancement of a crime victims unit that, for the first time, resulted in the ability of the agency to administer the statutory maximum number of visas to victims of crime.

In 2016, Mayorkas became a partner at the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, in their Washington, D.C., office. On November 23, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced he would nominate Mayorkas as secretary of homeland security in his Cabinet. Mayorkas's nomination received the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police and former secretaries Tom Ridge, Michael Chertoff (who served under George W. Bush), Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson (whom Mayorkas served under), who said Biden "could not have found a more qualified person". On February 2, 2021, Mayorkas was confirmed by the Senate on a 56–43 vote, with bipartisan support but significant Senate Republican opposition. He was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on February 2, 2021. Mayorkas is the first immigrant and first person born in Latin America to lead the department.

Early life and education

Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, nicknamed Ali, was born in Havana, Cuba, on November 24, 1959. When he was one year old, his parents fled with him and his sister to the United States in 1960 as refugees, following the Cuban Revolution. He lived in Miami, Florida, before his family moved to Los Angeles, California, where he was raised for the remainder of his youth. Mayorkas grew up in Beverly Hills and attended Beverly Hills High School.

His father, Charles R. "Nicky" Mayorkas, was born in Cuba. He was a Cuban Jew of Sephardi (from the former Ottoman Empire, present-day Turkey and Greece) and Ashkenazi (from Poland) background. He owned and operated a steel wool factory on the outskirts of Havana. Nicky Mayorkas studied economics at Dartmouth College.

His mother, Anita (Gabor), was a Romanian Jew whose family escaped the Holocaust and fled to Cuba in the 1940s. The Cuban Revolution marked the second time his mother would be forced to flee a country she considered home.

Mayorkas earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1981. He received his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in 1985.

Assistant United States Attorney

After three years as a litigation associate in private practice, Mayorkas became an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California in 1989. He prosecuted a wide array of federal crimes, developing a specialization in the prosecution of white-collar crime, including tax evasion and money laundering. His prosecutions included the successful prosecution of Operation PolarCap, then the largest money laundering case in the nation; the conviction at trial of Heidi Fleiss on charges of federal conspiracy, tax fraud, and money laundering charges; the successful prosecutions of two largest telemarketing fraud operations that preyed on the elderly; and the successful prosecution of a health care fraud and insurance fraud conspiracy.

Mayorkas served as the coordinator of the Southern California Telemarketing Fraud Task Force, overseeing the coordination of federal, state, and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies to most aggressively combat telemarketing fraud throughout the Central District of California.

From 1996 to 1998, Mayorkas served as Chief of the Office's General Crimes Section, overseeing the training and trial work of all new Assistant United States Attorneys in the Criminal Division. He received numerous awards from federal law enforcement agencies, including from FBI Director Louis Freeh for the successful prosecution of Operation PolarCap.

United States Attorney

In 1998, Mayorkas was recommended by Senator Dianne Feinstein and appointed by President Bill Clinton as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, becoming the country's youngest United States Attorney. He was appointed on December 21, 1998.

Mayorkas oversaw the prosecution of high-profile criminal cases, including the prosecution of the Mexican Mafia in death penalty proceedings, the prosecution of Buford O. Furrow Jr. for the murder of a federal postal worker and the hate-motivated shooting of children in a community center, the prosecution of Litton Industries for the payment of bribes abroad, and the takedown of the violent 18th Street gang using RICO statutes.

In late 2000, Mayorkas was one of many California officials who participated in efforts to obtain executive clemency for narcotics trafficker Carlos Vignali Jr., the son of a wealthy Los Angeles businessman. On his last day in office in January 2001, Clinton commuted Vignali's 15-year prison sentence, a controversial decision.

Private law practice

In September 2001, Mayorkas joined O'Melveny & Myers as a litigation partner. In 2008, The National Law Journal named Mayorkas one of the "50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America".

Upon the election of Barack Obama in November 2008, Mayorkas was selected by the president-elect for a role in the presidential transition leading up to the inauguration. He led the transition team responsible for the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division.

Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

In 2009, Mayorkas was appointed by President Obama as the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On May 20, 2009, the nomination was received by the Senate; on August 7, 2009, the nomination was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote. As USCIS director, Mayorkas led United States citizenship through management efficiencies and fiscal responsibility, and safeguarding the integrity of the immigration system. He implemented the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process in sixty days. He led U.S. government efforts to rescue orphaned children following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti and led the advancement of a crime victims unit that, for the first time, resulted in the ability of the agency to administer the statutory maximum number of visas to victims of crime.

For his work as director of USCIS, Mayorkas received awards from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

In 2015, a Department of Homeland Security inspector general (DHS IG) report criticized Mayorkas' oversight of the EB-5 investor visa program, which offered lawful permanent resident status (green cards) to foreign investors who invested $500,000 into businesses that created jobs in the U.S. The program's popularity greatly increased under Mayorkas's tenure. The DHS IG report, which was the culmination of an investigation beginning in 2013, focused on allegations that politically connected businesses were given special treatment under the program, focusing specifically on the Sahara casino and hotel in Las Vegas, backed by then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and an electric car company led by Terry McAuliffe and involving Anthony Rodham. The report concluded that "The juxtaposition of Mr. Mayorkas' communication with external stakeholders on specific matters outside the normal procedures, coupled with favorable action that deviated from the regulatory scheme designed to ensure fairness and evenhandedness in adjudicating benefits, created an appearance of favoritism and special access." The "fast-tracking" of approvals for individuals involved in the casino program was controversial because it was made over the objections of USCIS analysts "who were suspicious about the source of the funds".

Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security

Nominated by President Obama in June 2013, Mayorkas was confirmed as the deputy secretary on December 20, 2014, following a party-line Senate vote.

The DHS inspector general's investigation into Mayorkas's intervention as USCIS director to expedite reviews for applicants for foreign investor visas in three cases caused controversy and delayed his confirmation proceedings. The inspector general's report found that Mayorkas's acts did not violate the law, but did create an appearance of favoritism. In House Homeland Security Committee testimony in May 2015, Mayorkas expressed regret that his intervention created an impression of favoritism, but said his involvement was motivated by a desire to ensure that the applications were handled in accordance with the law: "I did not let errors go unchecked, but instead helped ensure that those cases were decided correctly, nothing more and nothing less."

As deputy secretary, Mayorkas's led DHS's response to the 2013–14 Ebola virus epidemic and 2015–16 Zika virus epidemic. His work also focused on cybersecurity. He led the DHS's negotiations with Israel and China on cybersecurity. A landmark agreement reached in 2015 with the Chinese government reduced, for a brief period, Chinese cyberattacks against American companies aimed at the theft of intellectual property. After the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, Mayorkas led the Obama administration's delegation to Cuba, and negotiated with the Cuban government on port and cargo security and U.S.-Cuba travel.

Mayorkas was also involved in the Department's counterterrorism and anti-cybercrime efforts, as well as its public-private partnerships, and efforts to fight antisemitism. Under Mayorkas's tenure, DHS greatly expanded its Cyber Crimes Center in Fairfax, Virginia, to aid the department's efforts to combat various cybercrimes, ranging from child exploitation to computer hacking and intellectual property theft. Mayorkas was involved in efforts to address DHS's presence on GAO's "high risk list" for management challenges; Mayorkas, as well as Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, acknowledged low morale among DHS employees (a longstanding problem that pre-dated the Obama administration) and took steps aimed at boosting morale.

Return to private practice, 2017–2020

In October 2016, Mayorkas joined the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in the firm's Washington office.

Secretary of Homeland Security

Nomination and confirmation hearings

On November 23, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced his plan to nominate Mayorkas to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Mayorkas has the support the Fraternal Order of Police and endorsements from former secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff (who served under George W. Bush) and Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson (who served under Barack Obama), who said Biden "could not have found a more qualified person".

Most Senate Republicans opposed the nomination; Josh Hawley delayed a speedy confirmation, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged his caucus to vote against confirmation. Ultimately, Mayorkas was confirmed on a 56–43 vote. Republican Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Rob Portman, Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, and Dan Sullivan voted with the Democrats to confirm Mayorkas.

Tenure

Mayorkas was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on February 2, 2021, after his confirmation that day.

Early on in his tenure, crossings surged at the Mexico-United States border. In June 2021, the monthly number of intercepted migrants reached a decade high of 188,800.

On October 19, 2021, Mayorkas tested positive for COVID-19 during a test performed as part of pre-travel protocol, and at the time he was experiencing mild symptoms. The illness disrupted the secretary's schedule, including the cancellation of a trip to Bogotá, Colombia, and forcing the rescheduling of a Senate hearing, which was rescheduled to November 16, 2021.

Personal life

Mayorkas and his wife Tanya have two daughters, Giselle and Amelia. He is a runner and plays tennis and squash.

References

1. ^ Rosenzweig, David (October 9, 1998). "Feinstein Recommends Mayorkas for U.S. Attorney in L.A." Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 421322576. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
2. ^ Barber, C. Ryan (November 23, 2020). "Wilmer Partner Alejandro Mayorkas Picked for Homeland Security Secretary". National Law Journal. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020.
3. ^ Hesson, Ted (November 24, 2020). "Biden picks Cuban-American lawyer Mayorkas as U.S. homeland security chief". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
4. ^ "PN488 – Alejandro N. Mayorkas – Department of Homeland Security". August 7, 2009. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020.
5. ^ Watanabe, Teresa (May 24, 2010). "Head of U.S. legal immigration system wins high marks from advocates for immigrants". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 312850120. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
6. ^ Preston, Julia (September 12, 2012). "Quick Start to Program Offering Immigrants a Reprieve". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
7. November 23, C. Ryan Barber |; PM, 2020 at 01:29. "Wilmer Partner Alejandro Mayorkas Picked for Homeland Security Secretary". National Law Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
8. ^ Yoes, Patrick (January 7, 2021). "Law Enforcement Cheers Biden's Homeland Chief". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
9. ^ Chertoff, Michael; Johnson, Jeh; Napolitano, Janet; Ridge, Tom (January 12, 2021). "Opinion: 4 former homeland security secretaries: We cannot afford one more day without a confirmed DHS leader". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
10. Beitsch, Rebecca (February 2, 2021). "Senate confirms Biden's DHS pick after GOP delay". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
11. ^ "Harris swears in Mayorkas as homeland security secretary after Senate confirmation vote". The Washington Post. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
12. Rodriguez, Sabrina (February 2, 2021). "Mayorkas confirmed as secretary of Homeland Security". Politico. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
13. ^ "Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas – Department of Homeland Security, 113th Congress (2013-2014)". United States Congress. December 20, 2013. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020.
14. Sands, Geneva; Alvarez, Priscilla (November 24, 2020). "Mayorkas could bring stability to DHS after years of interim leadership". CNN. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020.
15. "HIAS Congratulates Board Member Alejandro Mayorkas on DHS Nomination". HIAS. November 23, 2020. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020.
16. ^ Marshall, Serena (October 27, 2015). "55 Years Later, US Official Prepares for Emotional Return to Cuba". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
17. Johnson 2000, pp. 70, 76.
18. Ethan Marcus (November 25, 2020). "Alejandro Mayorkas' historic nomination is a wake up call: Stop erasing Sepharadim". The Forward.
19. Molly O'Toole (November 23, 2020). "Biden picks Alejandro Mayorkas for Homeland Security secretary". Los Angeles Times.
20. ^ Maria Sacchetti and Nick Miroff (January 18, 2021). "The family of Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's pick to head DHS, fled the Nazis and then Cuba before arriving in the United States". The Washington Post.
21. Sacchetti, Maria; Miroff, Nick (January 18, 2021). "The family of Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's pick to head DHS, fled the Nazis and then Cuba before arriving in the United States". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
22. ^ Hesson, Ted (July 25, 2013). "Meet the Cuban Immigrant Who Could Run Homeland Security". ABC News. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
23. ^ Zonshine, Idan (November 12, 2020). "Alejandro Mayorkas, the Cuban-Jewish attorney who may head Biden's DHS". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020.
24. Miroff, Nick; Sacchetti, Maria (November 23, 2020). "Biden picks Alejandro Mayorkas, a son of Jewish Cuban refugees, to lead the Department of Homeland Security". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
25. newsamericas (November 24, 2020). "10 Things To Know About The Man Who Could Become The First Caribbean Born U.S. DHS Secretary". Caribbean and Latin America Daily News. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
26. Sacchetti, Maria; Miroff, Nick. "The family of Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's pick to head DHS, fled the Nazis and then Cuba before arriving in the United States". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
27. ^ Fox, Ben (November 23, 2020). "Ex-Homeland Security official Mayorkas returns under Biden". AP News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020.
28. "Former United States Attorneys". United States Department of Justice. November 4, 2015. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
29. Purdum, Todd S. (February 22, 2001). "A Convict in the Storm's Eye Had Plenty of Other Help". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
30. Brown, Carrie Budoff (October 14, 2008). "Clinton scandal figure on Justice team". Politico. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
31. Rosenzweig, David (July 26, 2001). "Mayorkas to Join L.A. Law Firm". Los Angeles Times. p. B6. ISSN 0458-3035. ProQuest 421775031. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
32. "The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
33. "Letter from Joshua Hoyt, Executive Director". Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. April 15, 2011. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
34. ^ Mosk, Matthew; Ross, Brian (March 24, 2015). "Top Homeland Official Alejandro Mayorkas Accused of Political Favoritism". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
35. Caldwell, Alicia (July 23, 2013). "Homeland Security official probed". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
36. Loten, Angus (August 8, 2013). "Some USCIS Employees Say Alejandro Mayorkas Gave Special Treatment to Casino Project Backed by Foreigners". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
37. "Roll Call Vote: Question: On the Nomination (Confirmation Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security". Archived from the original on November 24, 2020.
38. ^ Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (November 23, 2020). "Biden Nominates Cuban-Born Lawyer to Lead Homeland Security Dept". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
39. ^ Preston, Julia (April 30, 2015). "Homeland Security Official Defends Handling of Visa Program". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
40. ^ Gamboa, Suzanne (November 23, 2020). "First Latino tapped to head DHS signals shift from Trump's hard-line immigration policies". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020.
41. Marks, Joseph (November 24, 2020). "The Cybersecurity 202: Biden's DHS pick adds cybersecurity chops to the incoming administration". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020.
42. Lyngaas, Sean (November 23, 2020). "Biden's DHS pick was a 'quick study' of cybersecurity issues as the department's deputy". CyberScoop. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020.
43. ^ Keegan, Michael J. (2015). "Leading a Unity of Effort: A Conversation with Alejandro Mayorkas, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security" (PDF). The Business of Government. IBM Center for The Business of Government: 26–31. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
44. Markon, Jerry (July 23, 2015). "Homeland Security cybercrime center expands amid growing concern over computer hacking". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020.
45. Markon, Jerry (October 10, 2020). "DHS morale sinks further despite new leadership at the top, survey shows". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020.
46. Markon, Jerry; Nakashima, Ellen; Crites, Alice (November 21, 2014). "Top-level turnover makes it harder for DHS to stay on top of evolving threats". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020.
47. "Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Joins WilmerHale" (Press release). Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. October 5, 2016. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
48. Thomas, Ken; Restuccia, Andrew (November 23, 2020). "Biden Reveals Some Cabinet Picks". The Wall Street Journal. ProQuest 2463420498. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
49. Crowley, Michael (November 23, 2020). "Biden Will Nominate First Woman to Lead Intelligence, First Latino to Run Homeland Security". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
50. Desiderio, Andrew. "Josh Hawley will delay swift confirmation of Biden's DHS pick". Politico. Politico. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
51. "McConnell Urges Caucus to Oppose Mayorkas for Biden DHS Secretary". www.yahoo.com.
52. ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress - 1st Session". www.senate.gov.
53. Geneva Sands. "US-Mexico border arrests in June are the highest in at least a decade". CNN. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
54. Sands, Geneva (October 19, 2021). "Homeland Security secretary tests positive for Covid-19". CNN. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
55. "Statement of Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas to the Judiciary Committee of the United States Senate" (PDF). June 24, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.

Sources

• Johnson, Ross (September 2000). "The Enforcer". Los Angeles. 45 (9): 68–80.

External links

• Biography at the United States Department of Homeland Security
• Biography at the United States Department of Homeland Security (2013–2017, archived)
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Alejandro Mayorkas on Twitter

Links to related articles

v t e United States secretaries of homeland security Ridge Chertoff Napolitano Johnson Kelly Nielsen Mayorkas v t e Cabinet of President Joe Biden (2021–present) Cabinet Vice President Kamala Harris (2021–present) Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2021–present) Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen (2021–present) Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (2021–present) Attorney General Merrick Garland (2021–present) Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (2021–present) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (2021–present) Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo (2021–present) Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh (2021–2023) Julie Su (acting) (2023–present) Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra (2021–present) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge (2021–2024) Adrianne Todman (acting) (2024–present) Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (2021–present) Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm (2021–present) Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (2021–present) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough (2021–present) Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (2021–present) Cabinet-level Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Michael S. Regan (2021–present) Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young (2021–present) Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines (2021–present) Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William J. Burns (2023–present) Trade Representative Katherine Tai (2021–present) Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield (2021–present) Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Cecilia Rouse (2021–2023) Jared Bernstein (2023–present) Administrator of the Small Business Administration Isabel Guzman (2021–present) Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Eric Lander (2021–2022) Arati Prabhakar (2022–present) White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain (2021–2023) Jeff Zients (2023–present) See also: Political appointments by Joe Biden v t e Members of the Cabinet of the United States Cabinet members Biden Harris Austin Becerra Blinken Buttigieg Cardona Garland Granholm Haaland Mayorkas McDonough Raimondo Su Todman Vilsack Yellen Cabinet-level members Bernstein Burns Guzman Haines Prabhakar Regan Tai Thomas-Greenfield Young Zients acting Cabinet of Joe Biden v t e Interior ministers of the Group of Seven McGuinty Retailleau Faeser Piantedosi Murakami Cooper Mayorkas Brunner v t e Presidential line of succession in the United States of America Vice President (Kamala Harris) Speaker of the House of Representatives (Mike Johnson) President pro tempore of the Senate (Patty Murray) Secretary of State (Antony Blinken) Secretary of the Treasury (Janet Yellen) Secretary of Defense (Lloyd Austin) Attorney General (Merrick Garland) Secretary of the Interior (Deb Haaland) Secretary of Agriculture (Tom Vilsack) Secretary of Commerce (Gina Raimondo) Secretary of Labor (Julie Su (acting)**) Secretary of Health and Human Services (Xavier Becerra) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Adrianne Todman (acting)**) Secretary of Transportation (Pete Buttigieg) Secretary of Energy (Jennifer Granholm*) Secretary of Education (Miguel Cardona) Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Denis McDonough) Secretary of Homeland Security (Alejandro Mayorkas*) * Ineligible to act as president • ** Ambiguity exists concerning eligibility to act as president

• 1959 births
• 20th-century American lawyers
• 21st-century American lawyers
• American people of Cuban-Jewish descent
• American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
• American people of Turkish-Jewish descent
• American politicians of Cuban descent
• Beverly Hills High School alumni
• Biden administration cabinet members
• California lawyers
• Cuban Jews
• Cuban emigrants to the United States
• Cuban people of Sephardic-Jewish descent
• Jewish American attorneys
• Jewish American members of the Cabinet of the United States
• Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
• Living people
• Loyola Law School alumni
• Members of the Council on Foreign Relations
• Obama administration personnel
• People associated with O'Melveny & Myers
• People from Beverly Hills, California
• People from Havana
• United States Attorneys for the Central District of California
• United States Deputy Secretaries of Homeland Security
• United States Secretaries of Homeland Security
• University of California, Berkeley alumni
• Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr partners