Alejandro Mayorkas says the United States still aims to be a country of immigrants

Angle down iconAn icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File

• Mayorkas told The New York Times Magazine that the US wants to remain a country of immigrants.
• "We shouldn't, nor do we, define ourselves by the challenges we have," he told the magazine.
• The Homeland Security secretary has clashed with Republican lawmakers over border security.

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a recent interview said he believes that the United States "very much so" wants to remain a country comprised of immigrants.

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, Mayorkas said that Americans shouldn't "define ourselves by the challenges we have."

"We define ourselves by the opportunities that we have and we create," he said.

Mayorkas, who was born in Cuba, noted during the interview that he had immigrated to the United States while also remarking on the immigrant background of Lulu Garcia-Navarro, the reporter who interviewed him for the magazine.

"We are two immigrants in positions of responsibility," he said. "You have significant responsibilities as a journalist. I have a serious set of responsibilities as a secretary of homeland security."

"What a wonderful country this is," he added.

Since leading the Homeland Security Department, Mayorkas has become a lightning rod for Republicans frustrated with President Joe Biden's immigration policies. GOP lawmakers argue that the president's policies have led to a surge in crossings along the US-Mexico border.

In December 2023, illegal border crossings from Mexico led to an all-time monthly high of nearly 250,000 arrests, according to the US Border Patrol.

Earlier this week, the Republican-led Homeland Security Committee voted to send impeachment articles for Mayorkas to the House for a vote, arguing that the secretary has failed to secure the border.

Mayorkas has blasted the impeachment effort and said he is fully focused on pushing Congress to strengthen the nation's immigration laws.

"There isn't a week that has gone by that we haven't discussed new solutions, new ideas," he told the Times. "And I have to return to this: Fundamentally, we are working within a broken system, and Congress, most importantly, needs to pass legislation that fixes it."