Opening Remarks of Chairman Carper: Business Meeting for the Nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas

WASHINGTON- Today, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) held a business meeting to consider the nomination of Alejandro N. Mayorkas, President Obama’s nominee to be Deputy Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. A selection of Chairman Carper’s statement follows.

To read statement in its entirety, please click here. To watch the meeting, please click here.

“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a critical mission – to protect our nation from harm whether the threat is a natural disaster or act of terror. This is a difficult mission under any circumstances, but it is made all the more challenging by the fact that the Department has several vacancies in critical Senate-confirmed leadership positions.  To be successful, the Department needs strong leadership and I believe that it is unacceptable to have so many vacancies, including in the Deputy Secretary position. Everything I have learned about Director Mayorkas has convinced me that he is highly qualified for the job, and I am confident that he can help lead the Department during this challenging period.  Furthermore, countless individuals from across the political spectrum strongly support Director Mayorkas and have spoken highly of his experience, his integrity, and his credentials for the role of Deputy Secretary. It is time to move forward with Director Mayorkas’ nomination to ensure that the Department has the leadership in place that we need to keep all Americans safe. It is time for this Committee to vote on the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas and send his nomination to the floor for consideration by the full Senate. I urge all of my colleagues to support Alejandro Mayorkas.”