‘To see the uprising, the horrific acts of January 6, was not only personally devastating, but also has a commitment to our efforts to double, to fight hatred, and to one of the greatest threats that we are currently facing in our homeland, to fight. is the threat of domestic terrorism, ”Mayorkas said in an interview with CNN’s Ana Cabrera which aired on ‘The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer’.
Mayorkas, who was sworn in on Tuesday, is the first secretary to be confirmed by the Senate in nearly two years and will oversee the department’s extensive mission, which includes cyber security, immigration and Covid-19 response. He is the first Latino and immigrant to have the department in charge.
Mayorkas stressed that the threat of domestic terrorism was “persistent” and said the department would continue to work with its state and local partners to combat it. The secretary conceded that one of the challenges is to identify “where the line between hate speech and hate speech takes place.”
The concern is being reiterated by the department’s acting deputy secretary, David Pekoske, who said on Wednesday that domestic violent extremism is a ‘concern area’ going on after Super Bowl weekend and at a news conference with the NFL and other officials from the law enforcement speaks.
The Department of Homeland Security is also at the forefront of responding to the coronavirus pandemic and enforcing the use of masks.
The department said Sunday that employees of the Transportation Safety Administration have the authority to enforce President Joe Biden’s mandate for transportation mask at the TSA checkpoints and throughout the commercial and public transportation system.
“Maintaining these guidelines is honestly a challenge. We rely, at least in part, on the voluntary compliance of the American public. Let the death toll itself be a mandate for people to wear masks, to take at appropriate distances, “to take the necessary precautions to protect each other’s health and well-being,” he told CNN.
Immigration
The obligation to use masks is one of the ways in which the Biden administration has distinguished itself from the previous administration, including the way in which the government approaches immigration.
Mayorkas, who set an empathetic tone, told CNN on Wednesday: “The cruelty of the previous government has come to an end.”
The secretary will chair the task force focused on reuniting families separated on the U.S.-Mexico border. Mayorkas seems to have suffocated when asked about what went through his mind when he heard the screams of children taken from their parents under the Trump administration.
“I’m a father. I’m a man. I’m a boy. I’m a brother. I’ve never heard such a pain and heartbreaking pain, and it’s our commitment to make sure that pain not to be felt again, “he said.
During his presidential campaign, Biden undertook to set up a task force focused on identifying and reuniting families separated at the US-Mexico border under the Trump administration’s controversial ‘zero tolerance’ policy. . The administration’s new task force – announced on Tuesday – stems from the promise.
They will be charged with identifying all children separated from their parents or legal guardians at the southern border, facilitating and enabling the association of children with their families, and reporting regularly to the president, including one that contains recommendations.
“Our responsibility is to reunite families and support and facilitate their healing,” Mayorkas said, adding that it could include health care and the use of authorities in the immigration system.
The establishment of the task force was one of a series of immigration management orders signed on Tuesday. The orders are largely aimed at reviewing policies and do not have an immediate impact, with respect to immigration lawyers and attorneys seeking answers about the future of migrants subject to Trump-era policies.
Mayorkas said he was involved in discussions about ending the Trump-era policy that requires migrants, some seeking asylum in the U.S., to wait in Mexico until their court date. Thousands are still waiting in turmoil and often in dangerous conditions.
“Its urgency cannot be overstated either,” he said.