Biden chooses Mayorkas to lead national security: "One of the most difficult jobs in government"

President-elect Joe Biden formally introduced members of his national security team, including

at a press conference on Tuesday 

This will end the years of "chaos, dysfunction and utter cruelty" at the agency, Biden said.

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From Wilmington, Delaware, the president-elect assured that, after making almost twenty calls to world leaders, he is certain that they 

Likewise, Biden praised the trajectory of his six appointments, for whom he asked for early confirmation in the Senate to begin what he described as

In addition to Mayorkas, the appointments include Tony Blinken as secretary of state;

Avril Haines as the first National Intelligence Director;

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the first black woman to serve as ambassador to the United Nations;

Jake Sullivan, as National Security Advisor, and John Kerry as Presidential Envoy for the Climate Emergency.

This is what the process of transition of power from Trump to Biden implies

Nov. 24, 202002: 20

"This team behind my back embodies my core beliefs that America is stronger when it works with its allies collectively ... they will tell me what I need to know, not what I want to know," Biden said.

The transition begins

The president-elect applauded the decision of the General Services Administration (GSA) to release funds for transition work, after almost three weeks of lockdown by the Trump administration, which has not yet recognized the results of the election.

"I am pleased to have been certified by the GSA to carry out a smooth and peaceful transition of power so that our teams can prepare to respond to the challenges ahead: control the pandemic, rebuild better, and protect the safety of the American people. ", said.

For her part, the vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, described the team as "extraordinary" and capable of facing the country's challenges, including the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the advancement of the United States' world leadership, and the strengthening of its global alliances.

An immigrant in charge of national security

Regarding Mayorkas, Biden affirmed that he will have

as head of a "giant agency" in charge of protecting national security from threats inside and outside the country.

[Biden will nominate the first Latino and immigrant to head the US Department of Homeland Security]

"After years of chaos, dysfunction and utter cruelty at DHS, I am proud to nominate an experienced leader, who has been praised by Democrats and Republicans," said Biden, who also congratulated Mayorkas on his birthday Tuesday.

Alejandro Mayorkas removes his mask to speak from Delaware this Tuesday, November 24.

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“Although DHS affects everyone, due to its critical role in immigration matters, I am proud that for the first time it will be led by an immigrant, a Latino who knows that we are a nation of laws and values,” emphasized Biden.

Like the rest of the team, Mayorkas offered brief statements peppered with references to

, where he fled as a child with his family in 1960

Mayorkas said it will be "an honor" to lead DHS and its "noble mission" to safeguard national security and "advance our proud history as a welcoming country."

Biden will nominate a Latino and an immigrant to lead the Department of Homeland Security

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He also promised that, after almost 20 years of public service, he will lead DHS to also "honor" his late parents, who valued democracy in the US and, like him, felt

Biden's appointments, many of them from the Obama Administration, reflect, according to experts, his desire to bring ethnic and cultural diversity to his incoming administration and to please the various wings of his party.