Watch: Homeland Security Chief Mayorkas Talks the Keys to Keeping Schools Safe

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas leads an agency — born in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — perhaps best known for mass surveillance and rigid airport security checkpoints. But to him, the key to keeping students safe at school rests with strong relationships. Time and again, gunmen display warning signs before opening fire in schools. It takes a vigilant community, he said, to break the cycle. In an exclusive interview with The 74’s Mark Keierleber, Mayorkas fielded a range of questions about the current campus security landscape, from an uptick in mass school shootings, the botched police response in Uvalde, Texas, and a massive ransomware attack in Los Angeles. Click here to read the transcript and watch the full conversation.