The Biden administration on Friday fired most members of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) independent advisory committee, including those nominated by both Democrats and Republicans.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
Alejandro Mayorkas: The Hill’s Morning Report: Biden commissions Harris to the border; press conference today, Arizona city declares “state of emergency” over border crisis Biden taps Harris to lead immigration amid border crisis MORE sent a letter to the National Security Advisory Council (HSAC) announcing that, in the “service of an orderly transition to a new model for the HSAC, I have ended the term of office of the current members of the HSAC as of March 26, 2021.” .
The letter, that was first obtained by Politico, added that the council, made up of former intelligence and security officials and other experts advising the secretary on various political issues, will be reconstituted “in the coming weeks, once the new model has been developed” .
Mayorkas thanked the board members for their service and added: “I am considering how the HSAC can bring maximum value to the Department and how the experience, judgment and advice of its members can be leveraged to advance the mission of the Department “.
“I look forward to working closely with the HSAC and relying on its members to help guide the Department through a period of change,” he continued.
The letter effectively fired most members, which included former National Security Agency director Keith Alexander, former DHS secretary-in-office Ken Cuccinelli, and former acting director of the National Security Agency. ‘Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Tom Homan.
Mayorkas, however, specified that William Bratton, the former New York City police commissioner, and Karen Tandy, a former administrator of the Drug Control Administration, will remain in their respective roles of president and vice president.
Former FBI and CIA Director William Webster will also continue to serve as President Emeritus.
Heritage Foundation foreign policy expert James Carafano, who was named a board member of DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, told Politico he was “really disappointed” by Friday’s decision.
“I thought this was the most talented advice they ever had in terms of the extensive experience they brought to the department,” he said. “I think it’s a loss for the department.”
The changes come when President Biden intends to move away from the immigration policies of yesteryear President Trump
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Biden has faced scrutiny from members of both sides over his administration’s use of detention centers for migrant children, especially after condemning Trump for his treatment of migrants at the border.
A CNN report published Friday found that while Biden has pledged to end several Trump-era immigration policies, it has maintained a pandemic health order that has been used to expel more of the half of migrants on the southern border in recent weeks.