Nielsen out as Homeland Security chief

K. Nielsen 2018 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is licensed under Flickr Public Domain

Trump faulted her for not clamping down on illegal border crossings

Updated 6:59 p.m. | President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is leaving his administration.

The move by Trump comes after months of frustration with what he saw as her inability to clamp down on illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.

After tweeting  that Nielsen was leaving, Trump also revealed that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become the acting Homeland Security secretary.

“I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!” the president said on Twitter.

Nielsen participated in two events with Trump on Friday at the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern California. And during her remarks at a roundtable in Calexico, she was open about the uptick in attempted illegal border crossings and apprehensions that has frustrated the president in recent weeks just when he wants to make immigration a major 2020 re-election theme.
Source: Roll Call
K. Nielsen 2018 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is licensed under Flickr Public Domain