Trump to fire Homeland Security boss, replace chief of staff: reports
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will remove Department of Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen and replace chief of staff John Kelly in another shakeup of his administration, U.S. news outlets reported on Tuesday, citing multiple unnamed sources.
Trump has decided to remove Nielsen, a Kelly prot?(C)g?(C) who became the secretary at Homeland Security when he left the job to become Trump’s chief of staff, but there is no obvious candidate to replace her, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding it was not clear on when Nielsen would leave.
“The Secretary is honored to lead the men and women of DHS and is committed to implementing the President’s security-focused agenda to protect Americans from all threats and will continue to do so,” said Tyler Houlton, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman, in response to an ABC News report about the possible staff changes.
Trump is considering replacing Kelly with Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, ABC News reported.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, has sought to bring more stability to the White House operation under the unpredictable Trump. During his time as chief of staff, he and the president have had a rocky relationship, according to various news reports and Bob Woodward’s best-selling book “Fear: Trump in the White House.”
Trump has sought to toughen immigration policies and has been reportedly unhappy with Nielsen’s efforts to tighten the border.
The president has vowed to begin cutting millions of dollars in aid to Central America over a caravan of thousands of mostly Honduran migrants who say they are fleeing violence and poverty at home. He has called the caravan, which is currently in Mexico, a national emergency and an “invasion.”
Last week, the U.S. military said over 7,000 troops would go to the border with Mexico.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration tried to deter families from traveling to the border by instituting a “zero tolerance” policy, separating thousands of children as their parents were prosecuted.
Reporting by Tim Ahmann and Makini Brice; Editing by Susan Heavey and Bill Trott
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