Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas fired most members of the department's independent advisory council on Friday, a purge that included several allies of former president Donald Trump and veteran officials who served under both parties.
Former Department of Homeland Security officials and advisory board members who worked under Democratic and Republican administrations said they could not remember so many members being dismissed at once, as the general practice of past administrations was to allow appointees to serve out their terms before replacing them.
The removal of more than 30 board members comes as the Biden administration tries to rid the department of Trump-era policies and practices, especially on immigration, and as it has struggled to shelter and care for an unprecedented number of migrant children and teenagers who have arrived at the southwest border without their parents.
DHS officials said Mayorkas would conduct an assessment of the council and reconstitute it with bipartisan members who better reflect the diversity of the United States and the people DHS serves.
In 2018, four members of the council - all Obama administration appointees - resigned in protest of the Trump administration separating migrant parents from their children at the border, calling the policy "Morally repugnant."
Bratton said some members of the DHS council brought "Phenomenal" expertise to the job and may be asked to return.
One of those ousted was Jay Ahern, who was an acting CBP commissioner during the Obama administration and was appointed to the council during the Trump administration.
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Biden administration fires most Homeland Security Advisory Council members
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