President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security was the subject of an Obama administration inspector general report that revealed he intervened to help foreign investors connected to top Democrats through the EB-5 visa program.
“Alejandro Mayorkas was found by Barack Obama’s Inspector General to be guilty of selling Green Cards to Chinese nationals on behalf of rich, Democratic donors,” Sen. Tom Cotton tweeted, accompanied by a video of his appearance on Fox & Friends discussing the matter.
“He is disqualified from leading the Department of Homeland Security,” he added.
Alejandro Mayorkas was found by Barack Obama’s Inspector General to be guilty of selling Green Cards to Chinese nationals on behalf of rich, democratic donors.
He is disqualified from leading the Department of Homeland Security. pic.twitter.com/8XsPdvn30G
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) November 25, 2020
The EB-5 visa program allows foreigners who invest in businesses that create American jobs to apply for green cards in the United States.
A 2015 inspector general report found that Mayorkas intervened in multiple applications with ties to high-ranking Democrats.
In one such case, the inspector general report found that Mayorkas helped expedite the case of a Las Vegas hotel and casino investment for then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In a second case, Mayorkas intervened to assist GTA, a company tied to former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe.
Mayorkas also applied pressure to deny applications, such as in the case of a Sony movie project in Los Angeles at the behest of former Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.
Complaints from U.S. Customs and Immigration Services staff led to the investigation.
“His intervention in these matters created significant resentment in USCIS,” the report said.
The allegations led to Mayorkas appearing before the House Homeland Security Committee in 2015.
“The [Department of Homeland Security] inspector general found that … employees perceived I exercised undue influence in these cases,” Mayorkas told the committee. “I bear responsibility for the perception of my employees. That is my responsibility, and I acknowledge that.”
“While I disagree with the Inspector General’s report, I will certainly learn from it and from this process. … The EB-5 program was badly broken when I arrived at USCIS,” Mayorkas said in a statement after the inspector general’s report was released.
“There was erroneous decision-making and insufficient security vetting of cases,” Mayorkas said. “I could not and did not turn my back on my responsibility to address those grave problems. I made improving the program a priority and I did so in a hands-on manner, through cases, policies, and sweeping personnel and organizational changes.”
While the inspector general report did not find any legal wrongdoing, it could create a roadblock for Mayorkas’s confirmation, which requires Senate approval.
