The Biden administration fired most members of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) independent advisory board on Friday, including those appointed by both Democrats and Republicans.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
Alejandro Mayorkas The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden assigns 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 Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) which announced that in “service of an orderly transition to a new model for HSAC, I have ended the term of current HSAC members effective March 26, 2021”.
The letter, that was first obtained by Politico, added that the council, made up of former intelligence and security officers and other experts advising the secretary on a range of policy issues, will be re-formed “in the coming weeks, once the new model is developed.”
Mayorkas thanked the councilors for their service, adding, “I consider how the HSAC can add the greatest value to the department and how the expertise, judgment and counsel of its members can be most effectively used to support the mission of the department. ”
“I expect to work closely with HSAC and rely on its members to guide the department through a period of change,” he continued.
The letter fired most of its members, including former National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander, former Acting DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, and former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan.
However, Mayorkas has specified that William Bratton, the former New York City Police Commissioner, and Karen Tandy, former Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, will continue to fulfill their respective roles as Chairman and Vice Chairman.
Former FBI and CIA Director William Webster will also continue in his role as Chairman Emeritus.
James Carafano, the Heritage Foundation’s foreign policy expert, who was appointed to the board led by DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, told Politico he was “very disappointed” by Friday’s decision.
“I thought this was the most talented board they ever had in terms of the broad expertise they brought to the department,” he said. “I think it is a loss for the department.”
The changes come as President Biden strives to deviate from the immigration policies of the past President Trump
Donald Trump The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden Shifts On Filibuster GOP Seems To Press Biden, Democrats On The Border Elaine Luria Endorsed McAuliffe For Governor In Virginia Democratic Primary MORE, while also facing a rapid increase in migrants, especially unaccompanied minors, at the southern border.
Biden faced criticism from members of both parties for his administration’s use of immigrant child detention centers, especially after convicting Trump for his treatment of migrants at the border.
A CNN report Published Friday, found that while Biden has committed to ending several Trump-era immigration policies, he has maintained a pandemic health order that has been used to expel more than half of migrants at the southern border in recent weeks.