Top DHS Official Aided McAuliffe, Reid Projects, Watchdog Finds

The Senate minority leader and Virginia governor are accused of receiving favoritism from a Department of Homeland Security official.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, listens during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2014
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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By Alan Katz

March 24, 2015 at 10:07 PM UTC

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A top Homeland Security Department official intervened to help projects backed by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Senator Harry Reid in a program aimed at attracting foreign investments in exchange for U.S. residency, the agency’s internal watchdog said.

Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas created “an appearance of favoritism and special access” when he helped the two Democrats’ projects in their bids to become officially designated centers that draw investments from people seeking visas through the EB-5 visa program, the DHS Inspector General John Roth said in a report Tuesday, citing witnesses.