Former vice president Joe Biden tapped Latino Alejandro Mayorkas to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the center of the United States' immigration policy.

Mayorkas will be the first Latino and first immigrant to head the DHS, if he gets confirmed by the Senate. Picking him to be at the center of U.S. immigration policy received praise from the Hispanic community and immigration activists, reported The Hill.

They believe the Latino man was a professional who can offer personal empathy to immigrants at the DHS.

Mayorkas is expected to make drastic changes to the current hard-line immigration policy in the country, according to NBC News.

If confirmed, he will also be leading the Biden's anti-terrorism strategy.

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Mayorakas' record during Obama administration

During the Obama administration, Mayorakas was the highest-ranking Cuban American.

He worked as the deputy secretary of the DHS when Jeh Johnson was the secretary. Prior to that, he was the director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, a DHS arm that oversees granting citizenship and other immigration benefits.

Biden's announcement came Monday as he gradually made public his picks for his national security team and cabinet.

In a FOX 10 Phoenix article, the former vice president said his cabinet picks had "unmatched" diplomacy accomplishments. He added that they "reflect the idea that we cannot meet the profound challenges of this new moment with old thinking and unchanged habits - or without diversity of background and perspective."

Some of Mayorkas's leadership roles were taking on the country's response to the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. He also worked on fighting human trafficking.

Mayorkas didn't fall short on his own list of historic firsts.

He was the youngest U.S. attorney in 1998 and he also helped negotiate the first homeland security memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Cuba.

Mayorkas's Role as DHS Secretary

If Mayorkas gets confirmed, he will be replacing Chad Wolf President Donald Trump's Acting Secretary for the department.

He will be put at the forefront of combating terrorism and securing the country's borders. He will also be in charge of enforcing immigration laws, cyberspace and disaster response.

Alan Bersin, a former assistant secretary in DHS's Office of Policy said Mayorkas has the "ability to hit the ground running" because of his knowledge of the department.

Bersin also believes Biden's DHS head pick can "start the repair work" that he believes the department needs.

When his nomination was announced, Mayorkas posted a tweet saying the U.S. provided his family "refuge" when he was young.

"Now, I have been nominated to be the DHS Secretary and oversee the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones," he wrote.

Mayorkas Nomination Touted

One of the people thrilled to have Mayorkas at the DHS was National Immigration Law Center's executive director, Marielena Hincapié.

She said the Cuban-American "represents an exemplary choice" that also sends a "strong signal" to immigrant communities in undoing the harms of hard-line immigration policy.

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The Biden team has been under pressure to put more people of color in its cabinet.

It's the same call made by Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Rep. Joaquín Castro, who also said picking Mayorkas was "fantastic."

He said with Mayorkas's experience, the experience is already there to bring about reforms that the DHS needs.

"The Congressional Hispanic Caucus looks forward to working with Alejandro Mayorkas to treat immigrants with dignity and respect," said Castro.