Letter to Hon. Dick Durbin, U.S. Senator; Hon. Gary Peters, U.S. Senator, Hon. Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator - Tillis Joins Gop Senators in Demanding Judiciary Hearing for Dhs Nominee
Letter
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.
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