Alejandro Mayorkas was sworn in as the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) during a ceremony at USCIS headquarters here. Mayorkas, a Cuban immigrant to the United States, comes to USCIS with a broad legal background and will lead the agency charged with running the nation’s immigration and naturalization system.

“The USCIS mission is rooted in the vision of our founding fathers,” Mayorkas said. “My family, like millions of others, came to this country to pursue our dreams in a land of liberty and opportunity. I am committed to administering our country’s immigration and naturalization laws efficiently and with fairness, honesty, and integrity.”

Nominated by President Obama on April 24 and unanimously confirmed on August 7 by the U.S. Senate, Mayorkas will oversee a workforce of nearly 18,000 people.

Mayorkas has served as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, and most recently as a partner in the law firm of O’Melveny and Myers. Last year, he was named one of the 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal.

Mayorkas previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California from 1989 to 1998. He holds a J.D. from Loyola Law School and a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Source(s):
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543...

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