Who is Alejandro Mayorkas?
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(CNN) -
The US Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security, the first Latino and immigrant to head that department.
This position will play a pivotal role in the new administration and is expected to quickly begin reversing the Trump administration's immigration policies while juggling responding to a global pandemic and threats to national security, along with restoring a department. It has been rocked by leadership changes and vacancies in recent years.
The Senate also voted Tuesday to confirm Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making him the first LGBTQ cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate.
Buttigieg's confirmation elevates the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, to a higher post in the federal government.
The election turns a candidate that President Joe Biden spoke about with enthusiasm after the primaries into a higher position in his administration and could beat Buttigieg what many Democrats believe is the necessary experience if he runs for president again.
The role of transportation secretary is expected to play a central role in Biden's push for a bipartisan infrastructure package.
Alejandro Mayorkas
