On Trump’s “Day One” Promises: Former DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas Talks Immigration, Terrorism, and Cybersecurity Threats

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

News Commentary, News, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

President Donald Trump has vowed to tackle immigration on “day one,” and that includes promising to close the southern border and begin mass deportations almost immediately. So who better to discuss the plausibility of those imminent plans than the man who led immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security for the past four years, former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas? Kara sits down for an exit interview with Mayorkas to talk about the backlash he faced, from both sides of the aisle, during a term plagued by “Biden’s Border Crisis”; whether he feels responsible for Trump’s election victory; his assessment of the threats posed by foreign and domestic extremists; his thoughts on calls to break up the mammoth DHS; and what he makes of his tapped successor, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Plus: why he thinks banning TikTok an imperative, if ultimately thankless, game of national security whack-a-mole. Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram @onwithkaraswisher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The breaking news is that I've decided to stay.
0:03.4	I'll inform the Trumps.
0:19.4	Hi, everyone, from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This is on with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher.
0:25.8	Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day and happy inauguration, depending on who you are. Yes, depending on who you are.
0:34.2	And keep warm there in Washington. I'm actually in Miami right now taping this.
0:38.7	I had to get out of Dodge. Today is, in fact, the first day of President Trump's term, at least
0:43.5	starting at noon. I'm not going to say how I feel about this. I think I'll just reflect in the
0:48.1	content we create here at On and a pivot. I have no advice for people except hold on.
0:56.7	But all incoming presidents make big promises of everything they'll do on day one. Of course, immigration has been at the top of Trump's
1:02.2	list. He's promised to close borders, begin mass deportations and more, and reporting on that
1:07.2	has already started about actions he could be taking almost immediately.
1:12.3	But what does that really mean? My guest today is one of the few people who can answer that question,
1:17.7	outgoing Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. Mayorkas is the first immigrant and
1:23.8	first Latino to be confirmed in the position after many years of public service.
1:28.8	In the late 1990s, he became the youngest U.S. attorney in the country in his home state of California.
1:34.4	In 2009, President Obama brought him on as director of the U.S. citizenship and immigration services.
1:41.5	In Obama's second term, Mayorkas became Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security,
1:45.4	and he was President Biden's pick to lead the department. To be clear, DHS is a hundred and fifteen
1:51.1	billion dollar federal agency that oversees a lot. Immigration, the border, disaster response,
1:57.5	federal protection, cybersecurity, and anti-terrorism. Some have advocated for its dissolution.
2:03.6	And as a man tasked with overseeing some of the nation's most contentious issues,
2:07.5	Mayorkas has been under pressure more than most in Washington, including becoming the first
	...

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