Trump's Homeland Security chief says he's 'uncomfortable' with how he's unable to leave the politics out of the job
- Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said that a drawback for his position within President Donald Trump's administration was his inability to direct the agency amidst a politicized climate.
- "What I don't have control over is the tone, the message, the public face and approach of the department in an increasingly polarized time," McAleenan said in an interview with The Washington Post. "That's uncomfortable, as the accountable, senior figure."
- In private, McAleenan's actions have conflicted with that of Trump's.
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Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said that a drawback for his position within President Donald Trump's administration was his inability to direct the agency amidst a politicized climate.
"What I don't have control over is the tone, the message, the public face and approach of the department in an increasingly polarized time," McAleenan said in an interview with The Washington Post. "That's uncomfortable, as the accountable, senior figure."
Trump's loyalists for his hardline immigration policy, including senior adviser Stephen Miller, have reportedly increased their clout amid the Department of Homeland Security's leadership shake up, leaving career officials like McAleenan feeling isolated.
As the head of the US agency that oversees numerous border and immigration-related departments, McAleenan has been thrust into the spotlight after being selected by Trump to temporarily replace former Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned in April.
McAleenan previously served as the Customs and Border Protection's commissioner, a position that required a Senate confirmation, and other roles within the DHS umbrella during former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush's tenures.
Since being appointed by Trump, McAleenan has endorsed many of the controversial directives from the Trump White House. Following a November incident in which Customs and Border Protection agents used tear gas against a large group of migrants rushing the US-Mexico border, McAleenan said the action was justified due to the "assaultive" nature of the crowd.
McAleenan has also signed off on the construction of Trump's border wall and described it as "not just a dumb barrier." He asserted that the border projects, not just the barrier, will include other tactical improvements to combat an ongoing "border security and humanitarian crisis."
But in private, McAleenan's actions have conflicted with that of Trump's. Following a meeting in which the president told border agents to indiscriminately turn away migrants at the border, McAleenan warned them to ignore the comment and told them they did not have the authority to follow that suggestion, according to The New York Times.
McAleenan also shuns the phrase "illegal aliens," according to his interview with The Post, and refers to them as "migrants" and "vulnerable families." Trump often uses the phrase "illegal aliens" to refer to the undocumented migrants, a habit McAleenan avoids because it hints at "political, emotion, and racial" overtures.
"I think the words matter a lot," McAleenan said to The Post. "If you alienate half of your audience by your use of your terminology, it's going to hamper your ability to ever win an argument."