Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has tested positive for COVID-19.
“Secretary Mayorkas tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after taking a test as part of routine pre-travel protocols,” Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa said in a statement Tuesday. “Secretary Mayorkas is experiencing only mild congestion; he is fully vaccinated and will isolate and work at home per CDC protocols and medical advice. Contact tracing is underway.”
The DHS secretary’s novel infection could raise alarm bells for some officials who were with him in recent days, including President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The Bidens stood next to Mayorkas over the weekend at a memorial event honoring fallen police officers. They were unmasked but outdoors.
No White House principal has been determined to be a close contact of Mayorkas, given that the most recent contact was at the outdoor National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service, which took place outside of the 48-hour close contact window, Biden’s team said on Tuesday.
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Mayorkas, who is vaccinated, was scheduled to travel to Colombia and Ecuador with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken but will now work from home.
Blinken is set to meet with Colombian President Ivan Duque and Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez to advocate for “strong democratic governments,” according to a U.S. State Department press release from Oct. 15.
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Additionally, Blinken is expected to tackle “irregular migration” in South America. Colombia hosts 2 million Venezuelan migrants, with Ecuador also hosting a large number, according to Voice of America.
