United States Secretary of Homeland Security

United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Seal of the Department of Homeland Security
Flag of the secretary
Incumbent Alejandro Mayorkas since February 2, 2021
Department of Homeland Security
Style	Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Member of	Cabinet Homeland Security Council National Security Council
Reports to	President
Seat	St. Elizabeths West Campus, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Appointer	President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	6 U.S.C. § 112
Formation	January 24, 2003 (21 years ago) (2003-01-24)
First holder	Tom Ridge
Succession	Eighteenth[1]
Deputy	Deputy Secretary
Salary	Executive Schedule, Level I
Website	dhs.gov

The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The new department consisted primarily of components transferred from other Cabinet departments because of their role in homeland security, such as the Coast Guard, the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (which includes the United States Border Patrol), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (which includes Homeland Security Investigations), the United States Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It does not, however, include the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the U.S. Marshals Service.^[2] They continue to operate under U.S. Department of Justice.

The current secretary of homeland security is Alejandro Mayorkas, since February 2, 2021. He is the first Latino and immigrant to lead the Department of Homeland Security.