The man with the most impossible job in DC

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     May 19, 2023 I’m Isabela Dias, a reporter from our Washington bureau. You may have heard that last week a controversial immigration policy known as Title 42 finally expired as the federal government lifted the Covid-19 public health emergency declaration. It is a big deal! For years now, we here at the magazine have been [covering]( the effects of Title 42, a policy that was used to quickly expel migrants, including asylum seekers, [2.7 million]( times since 2020. So, with the expiration of Title 42 looming, I was curious to see what this critical turning point for the southern border would mean. But the anticipated “crisis” never materialized; contrary to Republican warnings, the number of migrant crossings actually dropped since May 11. Still, as I watched the coverage, one face kept appearing in seemingly every White House press conference and TV network update. It was that of Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, with his signature bald head and thick eyebrows. I have spent a few months working on a profile of Mayorkas, the first Latino and immigrant to lead DHS, trying to pull the curtain on the man behind one of the most difficult jobs in DC. I’ve talked to childhood friends and former colleagues and bosses. I combed through high school yearbooks. All to answer the question: How did Alejandro Mayorkas become the face of the immigration debate and Republicans’ main target for impeachment? By almost every measure, as I write in my [article]( published today, Mayorkas seemed the perfect man for the task. On the one hand, he had had a successful career as a prosecutor. On the other, he was a refugee himself, having fled communist Cuba in 1960 with his family. Could Mayorkas strike the right balance on an intractable issue such as immigration? “We are a nation of immigrants,” he likes to say it. “We are also a nation of laws.” But hours of congressional hearings and public statements offer a glimpse of the kind of vitriol Mayorkas is up against from Republicans who accuse him of opening up the border. Will he survive as cabinet secretary to finish the job, or will the GOP war take him down? I hope you’ll read my latest feature to find out more! —Isabela Dias Advertisement [Icarus Films, Inc.]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [The Republican War on Alejandro Mayorkas—the Man With the Most Impossible Job in DC]( “Impeachment is the nicest thing I can say about that son of a bitch right now.” BY ISABELA DIAS SPONSORED CONTENT BY SAN ANTONIO REPORT   San Antonio’s leading local online news source You are invited to [sign up for one of the]([San Antonio Report’]([s free newsletters]( for useful and informative news coverage, insights and perspectives that spur interest and action in San Antonio communities. The San Antonio Report aims to go beyond simply reporting the news, to deeply engage readers and mobilize people to make San Antonio a better city in which to live. Learn more about their mission, and [sign up for one of their free newsletters](. [Trending] [How would Ron DeSantis "make America Florida"?]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [House Republicans' work requirements "are not about work"]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC   [The Colorado River wars are based on bad math]( BY JAKE BITTLE AND DANIEL PENNER   [We've got what it takes to end poverty in America]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC Advertisement [Icarus Films, Inc.]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Maybe Becoming President Takes More Than Just Being a Dick]( Did Ron DeSantis draw the wrong lesson from Trump? BY DAN FRIEDMAN [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755