Latino Cabinet members discuss how heritage influences their work

Alejandro Mayorkas, Miguel Cardona, Xavier Becerra and Isabel Guzman talked exclusively to ABC News about bringing their culture to the Biden administration for National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Mayorkas has served as secretary of Homeland Security since the early days of the administration, while Cardona has been secretary of education for the same period.

Xavier Becerra is secretary of health and human services, while Isabel Guzman leads the Small Business Administration. Both have served in these roles since 2021.

ABC News' Maria Elena Salinas sat down with all four to discuss their heritage.

CARDONA: Yo siempre digo [I always say], I'm as American as apple pie and rice and beans. We belong here. We are America.

ABC NEWS: They are four of the most powerful officials in government. All Latinos serving in the Biden-Harris administration.

MAYORKAS: It is remarkable to look around the table in the Cabinet Room, and to see America.

ABC NEWS: For National Hispanic Heritage Month, I sat down with these Cabinet members to hear how their unique heritage has influenced their work. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas joined us right after for a separate interview.

MAYORKAS: We fled the Communist takeover of Cuba. And I grew up with a very strong understanding of what it means for an individual to lose the country of one's birth and to be displaced not by choice, but by necessity.

ABC NEWS: Each of their stories, showing a unique upbringing. An immigrant story.

CARDONA: My parents came from Aguada, Puerto Rico, to Connecticut, and I was born in Connecticut.

BECERRA: My dad brought my mom from Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico, when he married her. They made sure their three, three daughters and one son had a chance to either serve in the military or go to college.

ABC NEWS: Do you guys get together and if you do, do you decide to have either Mexican food or Puerto Rican food?

CARDONA: I remember having a conversation in the Oval Office. We had a conversation in Spanish, the four of us. And that to me, was such a source of pride. And when we're together, we prefer the tequila or cafe puertoriqueño [Puerto Rican Coffee].

ABC NEWS: Secretary Becerra, you said that your mother used to say "Mejor prevenir que remediar," which means "It's better to prevent than to, than to remedy." What else needs to be done to ensure everyone has access to affordable health care?

BECERRA: We have to make sure we're reaching everyone, because one of the problems we have is too many people live in areas where it's hard to access the doctor or the hospital.

So the more we make care available close by, that's how you reach a lot of these populations that are underinsured or uninsured

ABC NEWS: Secretary Cardona, we're seeing some schools crack down on diversity and inclusion. How does that affect the state of education in the country?

CARDONA: We say bilingualism is a superpower, biculturalism is a superpower. So our, our response to that is to be unapologetic. We know that students, when they have more than one language, they have more opportunities in life. And I'm living proof of that.

ABC NEWS: School shootings have become so common in this country. How can we guarantee a good education for our kids when they have to be worried about staying alive?

CARDONA: We've worked really hard through the bipartisan Safer Communities Act to provide $2 billion to provide safer schools, to provide up to 14,000 more school social workers, school counselors. We have to do more to protect our students and keep these assault weapons off our streets. It's not just a school issue, it's a community issue.

ABC NEWS: Administrator Guzman, you said that you grew up watching your father run a business. He had a veterinary clinic.

GUZMAN: That's right.

ABC NEWS: You even worked at the veterinary clinic?

GUZMAN: Yes, I did. I got to witness that firsthand and understand the passion that goes into it, the grit, the determination, the vision and the hard work every single day.

ABC NEWS: What is the biggest challenge for small businesses across the country and how can it be solved?

GUZMAN: Our small businesses have been challenged throughout this time of the COVID pandemic and post.

But the top issues lately, of course, have been inflationary pressures, you know, navigating supply chain and we've really wanted to make sure that we could help level the playing field and get affordable access to capital.

ABC NEWS: Mayorkas is the first immigrant and Latino to serve as secretary of Homeland Security.

Both the Biden administration and Mayorkas himself have been criticized for their border policies, as the administration has grappled with record-breaking numbers of migrant encounters at the Southern border in recent years, according to CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) data.

MAYORKAS: It's an extraordinarily polarized issue, unfortunately. The only way to fix it is through legislation, congressional action. We're dealing with a system that has not been reformed since 1996, and the challenges of migration have changed dramatically over those 28 years.

ABC NEWS: What about the critique that you have an open border?

MAYORKAS: That is false. We've removed or returned more people this year than in any year since 2010. Tell that to the migrants who've been returned to their countries because they did not qualify for relief in the United States.

ABC NEWS: What would you say are some of the biggest challenges that are facing the Latino community right now in the U.S.?

BECERRA: Latinos have the highest rate of work participation. You'll find that we're out there working harder, longer, but we make less. So let's pay the right amount for the work that's done.

GUZMAN: I think it's definitely under investment. If we invest in these highly entrepreneurial communities, they will deliver for America.

ABC NEWS: For Mayorkas, bigotry and prejudice are a top concern.

MAYORKAS: Discrimination continues to be a challenge even in 2024. We need to understand the beauty of our heritage, the power we have and to exercise that power.

ABC NEWS: How would you finish this sentence? The Latino community is …

BECERRA: … aspiring.

GUZMAN: … incredibly diverse.

CARDONA: … growing.

MAYORKAS: … beautiful, powerful, strong and rich.