President Obama announced this week that he is nominating NAFUSA member Alejandro Mayorkas to be deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mayorkas is currently the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at DHS. He served on the panel on immigration at NAFUSA’s Atlanta conference in 2012. Mayorkas served as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California 1999-200. At the time of his appointment by President Clinton, Mayorkas became the youngest U.S. Attorney to serve the nation at that time.

Prior to becomming the director of USCIS, Mayorkas was a partner in the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP. He served as a member of firm’s worldwide governing Policy Committee. In 2008, the National Law Journal recognized Mayorkas as one of the “50 Most Influnetial Minority Lawyers in America.” He is a graduate of Loyola Law School.