Trump鈥檚 Homeland Security chief quits amid border-crossing tumult
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US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned on Sunday amid President Donald Trump鈥檚 growing frustration and bitterness over the number of Central American families crossing the southern border.
Trump announced on Sunday in a tweet that US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would be taking over as acting head of the department.
McAleenan is a longtime border official who is well-respected by members of Congress and within the administration. The decision to name a top immigration officer to the post reflects Trump鈥檚 priority for the sprawling department founded to combat terrorism following the September 11 attacks.
鈥淚 have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside,鈥 Nielsen, 45, wrote in her resignation letter.
鈥淚 hope that the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America鈥檚 borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation鈥檚 discourse.鈥
Though Trump aides were eying a staff shake-up at Homeland Security, the development was unexpected.
Nielsen traveled to the US-Mexico border on Friday with Trump to participate in a roundtable with border officers and local law enforcement. There she echoed Trump鈥檚 comments on the situation at the border, though she ducked out of the room without explanation for some time while Trump spoke.
As they toured a section of newly rebuilt barriers, Nielsen was at Trump鈥檚 side, introducing him to local officials. She returned to Washington afterward on a Coast Guard Gulfstream, as Trump continued on a fundraising trip to California and Nevada.
Nielsen had grown increasingly frustrated by what she saw as a lack of support from other departments and increased meddling by Trump aides on difficult immigration issues, according to three people familiar with details of her resignation. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
She went into the White House on Sunday to meet with Trump not knowing whether she鈥檇 be fired or would resign. She ended up resigning, though she was not forced to do so, they said.
Nielsen is the latest person felled in the Trump administration鈥檚 unprecedented churn of top staff and Cabinet officials.
Nielsen was also the highest profile female Cabinet member, and her exit leaves DHS along with the Pentagon and the White House staff itself without permanent heads.
Her resignation letter lacked any sense of controversy 鈥 unlike those of others who have left. She thanked Trump and DHS staff for their hard work.
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