Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he’ll vote against confirming President Biden’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Alejandro Mayorkas “does not deserve Senate confirmation to lead Homeland Security,” McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said. “I’ll be voting against his confirmation and urge our colleagues to do the same.“
Republicans oppose Mayorkas based in part on a 2015 inspector general’s report that found Mayorkas had shown a preference for the politically connected seeking participation in the EB-5 visa program, which offers a fast-track path to obtaining a green card for wealthy people who start businesses in the United States.
Mayorkas at the time was a deputy secretary of the Homeland Security Department.
McConnell, in a floor speech on Tuesday, said Mayorkas “did his best to turn U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services into an unethical favor of factory for Democratic Party royalty,” including former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who both sought and received favorable treatment for projects under the visa program.
“We’re talking about shoving through green cards as political favors and intervening to overturn denials,” McConnell said. “The IG confirmed this wasn’t just about speed. Mr. Mayorkas’s improper influence actually changed outcomes.“
Mayorkas is likely to win confirmation with the support of the Senate’s Democratic majority.
Democrats defended his nomination on Tuesday, citing his long record of public service and the need for stable leadership at DHS, which had a succession of leaders under former President Donald Trump.
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, called Mayorkas “an experienced national security leader who can restore integrity and decency at the Department of Homeland Security.”
