Thread: Trump unloads on DHS chief over immigration

Trump unloads on DHS chief over immigration

Josh Dawsey and Nick Miroff, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump berated Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in a dispiriting Cabinet meeting on immigration Wednesday, according to three administration officials, but her colleagues denied reports that she has threatened to quit.

Trump lashed out at his Cabinet, and Nielsen in particular, when told that the number of people arrested for illegally crossing the Mexico border topped 50,000 for the second consecutive month. The blowup lasted more than 30 minutes, according to a person with knowledge of what transpired, as Trump's face reddened and he raised his voice, saying Nielsen needed to "close down" the border.

"Why don't you have solutions? How is this still happening?" he said, adding later, "We need to shut it down. We're closed."

Administration officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide a candid account of the private meeting.

Trump's tirade went on so long that many present began fidgeting in their seats and flashing grimaces, White House aides said. Eventually, the topic moved on to health care, bringing relief to many in the room.

Details of the meeting were first reported Thursday by the New York Times.

The president's eruption was witnessed by Cabinet members plus a number of senior White House officials - including counselor Kellyanne Conway, advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, immigration adviser Stephen Miller and chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow.

Chief of Staff John Kelly, Nielsen's top ally who recommended her to Trump for the Homeland Security job, also was present.

Nielsen battled back, one person said, telling Trump that laws limit some of what she could do to block the flow of undocumented immigrants. Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended her, saying the administration was looking for new ways to deter illegal crossings.
Mostly, though, Nielsen struggled to get a word in, said one senior official.

The New York Times and Politico reported that Nielsen, who began the job in December, drafted a resignation letter. In a statement Thursday, a spokesman for the agency said that was false. Two senior White House officials described Nielsen as upset after the meeting, but said they were unaware of such a letter or threats to resign.

One White House official said Nielsen was in the building again Thursday. Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment.

One person close to Nielsen said she is unlikely to resign. "She feels like she's doing the best she can and doing a good job on immigration, but she also has to follow the law," this person said. "It's frustrating to have your boss unhappy about that."

Homeland Security's deputy secretary position is vacant, so there would be no immediate replacement if Nielsen were to step down.

Trump has never viewed Nielsen favorably, and complains to colleagues that she is "not tough enough," according to a senior White House official. He reminds staff that she was a "George W. Bush person" because of her previous tenure as a White House Homeland Security adviser.

In recent weeks, Nielsen has announced measures aimed at deterring illegal migration, including criminal prosecutions for parents who cross the border illegally with their children. Families are typically broken up in those circumstances, as federal immigration agents send children to government shelters while their mothers and fathers remain in custody awaiting court dates.

Trump has asked for frequent updates about the number of people attempting to cross the border illegally and has grown increasingly irritated at the recent trends.

A caravan of Central American migrants traveling through Mexico seized the president's attention this spring, and in the weeks that followed he frequently asked Homeland Security for updates, administration officials said.

Illegal crossings plunged in the early phase of Trump's presidency, but have since returned to levels consistent with the last several years of the Obama administration. Arrests along the border with Mexico typically rise during springtime, when migrants seeking jobs on U.S. farms and ranches return for the summer growing season.

Trump unloads on DHS chief over immigration

GET OUT YOUR PEN AND PHONE AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!

IF BARRY SOTERO GOT OUT HIS PEN AND PHONE...SO CAN YOU!!!

NOW TURN THEM ALL AWAY AT THE BORDER AND HAND UAC'S IMMEDIATELY OVER INTO THE CARE AND CUSTODY OF THIER COUTRIES OFFICIALS!

FAST TRACK THE PREGNANT ONES AND THE CHILDREN OUT OF HERE!

WE ARE NOT THE DUMPING GROUNG FOR THE WORLD'S OVERBREEDING POOR! GO HOME AND GET ON BIRTH CONTROL!

OPEN UP FEDERAL TENT CITY ON FEDERAL LAND WITH A PANEL OF FEDERAL JUDGES FOR ALL IMMIGRATION VIOLATION AND CRIMINALS! GET THEM OUT OF THE LOCAL AND STATE JAILS AND JURISDICTION! IT SHOULD BE SEPERATED!

"Why don't you have solutions? How is this still happening?" he said, adding later, "We need to shut it down. We're closed."

President Trump does not seem to realize that DHS is run by deep state operatives who are mostly politicians and bureaucrats masquerading as law enforcement with real guns and badges.

Trump could shut down the border at any moment by issuing direct orders to DHS and other agencies just like Obama did to create DACA.

The problem is that Trump sends two conflicting signals to every Federal employee and illegal immigrant by protecting and supporting DACA Amnesty out of one side of his mouth while crying and complaining about the borders remaining wide open out of the other side of his mouth.

I hope that more of you here on the ALIPAC boards will join me in these objective and non-sugar coated observations of the problem in DC and hold Trump and his agency appointees accountable for their betrayal of the American public on immigration issues.