On Friday the Senate confirmed the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as the director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency within the Department of Homeland Security responsible for overseeing lawful immigration to this country. In addition to establishing immigration-related policies and services, the USCIS adjudicates the petitions and applications of potential immigrants and guest workers.

President Obama announced his nomination of Cuban-born Mayorkas in April. In July, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination. In his testimony before the Judiciary Committee, Mayorkas listed as one of his first priorities if confirmed as USCIS Director: “ . . to strive to improve the Agency's fraud prevention and detection operations, increase collaboration with U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other law enforcement agencies to respond to fraud, and improve the efficiency and accuracy of the E-Verify system.”

Mayorkas is currently a litigation partner in a private law firm. Prior to entering private practice, Mayorkas served as the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.  At the age of 39, Mayorkas became the youngest U.S. Attorney in the country.  Mayorkas earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley in 1981, and his law degree from Loyola University in 1985.