Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is fully vaccinated, testified positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning and was experiencing mild symptoms, according to a department spokesperson. Marsha Espinosa, the Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said Mayorkas tested positive “after taking a test as part of routine pre-travel protocols.” The test was conducted ahead of a trip Mayorkas planned to take Tuesday to Colombia with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to Espinosa. “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,” she said in a statement. Mayorkas also was slated to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday for a hearing titled “Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.” It’s unclear whether that hearing will be postponed or conducted virtually. Mayorkas is the latest public figure in Washington to announce a mild or asymptomatic case of COVID-19. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who is also fully vaccinated, announced earlier this month he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was asymptomatic. [Justice Brett Kavanaugh tests positive for COVID-19] Several fully vaccinated lawmakers, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who is running for Senate, have also disclosed they tested positive for COVID-19. On Monday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell died of complications from COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated, his assistant said.
