WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) led a letter along with Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Lee (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Ben Sasse (R-NE) to incoming Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), incoming Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI), and outgoing Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), calling for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on Alejandro Mayorkas’s nomination to be Department of Homeland Security Secretary.
They wrote: “When he announced his nomination of Mr. Mayorkas, President Biden stated that he would play a ‘critical role in fixing our broken immigration system.’ And in his testimony before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mr. Mayorkas spoke about the Administration’s immigration priorities at length, addressing issues such as asylum, apprehensions along the southern border, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and the EB-5 investor visa program.”
“All Members of the Committee should have the opportunity to hear from Mr. Mayorkas directly, and to publicly discuss with him his plans with respect to the Department’s immigration components and functions.”
“In making this request, we want to state our deep respect for the work of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which rightly plays a vital role in considering this nomination.”
The full text of the letter is here and below.
January 25, 2021
Hon. Dick Durbin
United States Senator
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Hon. Gary Peters
United States Senator
724 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Hon. Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators Durbin, Peters, and Feinstein:
We the undersigned Republican Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee urge that the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to the position of Secretary of Homeland Security be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary for a second hearing following the January 19, 2020, hearing held by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
President Biden has pledged to make immigration an early and major focus of his Administration. Legislative proposals will form part of the agenda, but President Biden also plans to make significant regulatory and policy changes within the Department of Homeland Security. When he announced his nomination of Mr. Mayorkas, President Biden stated that he would play a “critical role in fixing our broken immigration system.” And in his testimony before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mr. Mayorkas spoke about the Administration’s immigration priorities at length, addressing issues such as asylum, apprehensions along the southern border, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and the EB-5 investor visa program. In short, immigration will be the top focus of our next Secretary of Homeland Security.
The Committee on the Judiciary has jurisdiction over matters relating to immigration and nationality under Senate Rule XXV. For this reason, all Members of the Committee should have the opportunity to hear from Mr. Mayorkas directly, and to publicly discuss with him his plans with respect to the Department’s immigration components and functions. In making this request, we want to state our deep respect for the work of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which rightly plays a vital role in considering this nomination.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to your prompt response and hope to work with you to set up an opportunity for the Judiciary Committee to consider this nomination.
Sincerely,
/s/