San Antonio, TX – In reaction to the news of Biden’s new pick for Secretary of Homeland Security, RAICES release the following statement:
“Alejandro Mayorkas will be the new Secretary of Homeland Security. Leading this department will be no easy task, but we hope that as the first Latino and someone who has advocated for immigrant rights, he will change the direction of DHS once and for all,” said Erika Andiola, Chief Advocacy Officer for RAICES. “Mayorkas played a crucial role in the creation of DACA as the Director of USCIS under Obama. We look forward to the immediate expansion of the DACA program and the dismantling of the detention and deportation machine that was created under Obama and expanded by Trump,” she added.
“DHS is a department that was built in the wake of 9/11 to protect America from terrorists — only for it to now be used to terrorize immigrants. The new Biden administration must recognize this and immediately change course. We must change the “good vs bad immigrant” narrative and immediately start the process of dismantling rogue agencies like ICE and CBP in order to prevent further human rights abuses at the border and the interior of the country,” said Jonathan Ryan, President and CEO of RAICES.
Our work is rooted in community. It doesn’t exist in a DC echo chamber. We will continue to organize and advocate for those who have always been left out of the process. Until there is relief for all of us, we have to push forward. Now is not the time to rest, but to reset and make our goals clear to the new administration.