DHS Needs Fresh New Leadership with an Unwavering Commitment to the President’s Immigration Agenda, Says FAIR

(April 8, 2019, Washington, D.C.) —The following statement regarding the departure of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen should be attributed to Dan Stein, president, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):

“The sudden departure of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen leaves the Department of Homeland Security with an interim leader at a moment of crisis for the agency and the nation. Illegal immigration is at levels not seen in more than a decade, the nation’s asylum policies are in a shambles, and the men and women of the Border Patrol and ICE are overwhelmed by the unending influx.

“Secretary Nielsen’s failures were largely due to her lack of immigration enforcement experience and inability to implement the president’s ambitious agenda. Now is the time for the president to correct the original misstep of naming Nielsen to the position and seek new, permanent leadership from outside the agency that is committed to his views.

“With the right person at the helm, there’s no need for an immigration czar, which would run the risk of adding yet another layer of bureaucracy to this agency at a time when it needs strong, decisive leadership.”