WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Trump is once again shaking up his staff.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen resigned from her job Sunday night, but had nothing but praise for the president, thanking him for letting her serve.
Her comment came the day after the president demanded her resignation.
Some Democrats said it’s about time.
“She was the one who engineered his policies to separate children from their parents at the border,” said Rep. Dan Kidlee, of Michigan.
The president says US immigration policy must be “tougher” and lawmakers are wondering what that means.
“He’s more and more pressing for actions at the border that don’t respect our treaty obligations, our domestic statutes on how we treat people seeking asylum,” said Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware.
Sen. Coons said the president blames Congress for immigration issues, but has failed to lead lawmakers toward bi-partisan reforms.
White House aide Hogan Gidley said he’s hopeful Nielsen’s replacement, Kevin McAleenan, will inspire lawmakers to act.
“Hopefully it will lead to some massive changes along the southern border,” Gidley said.
McAleenan has spent the last year as Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection and his appointment is not without controversy.
The ACLU, which has been fighting the administration’s crackdown on immigration, wrote the following in a statement.
The fact that Kevin McAleenan will serve as acting secretary provides no reassurance. He has been key in implementing Trump and Nielsen’s unconscionable policies and has overseen countless of Border Patrol’s abuses.
The White House said McAleenan will serving as “acting secretary.”