What’s going on at the Department of Homeland Security? As of this writing, the media was in an uproar over Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen showing up for a meeting at the White House. Various sources were suggesting that Nielsen was either being fired or resigning over disputes involving border security and immigration issues. Given the unrest in the administration over these questions, it wouldn’t have been surprising, but the press was speculating wildly. (CBS News)
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is expected to offer her resignation at a meeting at the White House on Sunday, U.S. officials familiar with the matter say. Nielsen was set to meet with President Trump at 5 p.m., the officials said.
It’s unclear whether Nielsen is deciding to resign voluntarily, or whether she has been pressured to resign.
Nielsen’s expected departure is a part of a massive DHS overhaul engineered and directed by top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, according to a senior U.S. official.
As it turns out, we don’t know if she was fired or resigned, but the President tweeted that she’s out.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2019
And as soon as we learned that Nielson is out, there was a new person named to replace her in an acting position.
….I am pleased to announce that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become Acting Secretary for @DHSgov. I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2019
This is certainly stunning, even in terms of Donald Trump’s management style. Kirstjen Nielsen was one of President Trump’s most loyal soldiers in terms of the debate over the border crisis. She focused much of her time and resources on these questions and supported the President in terms of the wall and limiting access to illegal immigrants. The breaking point may have come when Trump pulled foreign aid to several Central American countries just as Nielsen was on a tour down there stressing the importance of continuing our aid.
The President is obviously frustrated with the situation on the border, recently saying that our country is “full” and people should turn around and go back. But the DHS Secretary doesn’t have the ability to change those policies with the wave of a wand. It would require action by Congress which is basically impossible under current conditions. That conflict came to a head today and the Secretary has resigned according to multiple sources.
It’s unclear what the President thinks he’ll be able to accomplish with a new temporary DHS secretary. Policy statements can be issued, along with executive orders, but they will all be challenged and locked up in the courts by liberal opponents. Kevin McAleenan won’t be able to produce any more magic than Nielsen could. As much as I support the President’s desire to strengthen the border and block the flow of illegal aliens, this seems like an unproductive move. All he’s doing now is opening the door to Nielsen writing yet another tell-all book and giving the President’s detractors further ammunition.