Trump wanted the border closed two weeks ago but was dissuaded by Nielsen and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, among others. Nielsen has told confidants that she felt uncomfortable with some of the president’s requests, particularly closing the border, and thought that the president did not understand many of the laws governing immigration.
“He just wants drastic, drastic action,” said another White House official who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, adding that it is others who say, “We can’t do that.”
John Kelley….former DHS head, and Chief of Staff….Gone….
Kristen Neilsen….Current DHS Head…..Gone…
Tex Alles…Current Secret Service head….Gone….
William “Brock” Long….FEMA head….Gone…
L. Francis Cissna,….U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services head…Gone…
After Trump found out last week that more than 103,000 migrants arrived at the Mexican border in March — the highest total in more than a decade — he was livid, according to a White House official. The president was additionally frustrated that Nielsen and others would not close the border and change the rules to immediately stop migrants from coming to the United States to request asylum.
DHS officials are now looking for a way to satisfy the president’s demand for “tough” measures, including a plan called “binary choice” that would give migrant parents the option of remaining detained as a family or agreeing to a separation so that their children would not remain in immigration custody.
The goal of the plan would be to end the “catch and release” model that has allowed most migrant families to go free within the United States while they wait to appear before an immigration judge.
Implementing binary choice without lawmakers’ approval risks another court injunction.
“The president doesn’t like the news he’s getting on immigration and has blamed leadership at DHS, but this is not something leadership at the department can fix,” said Stewart Baker, a top DHS adviser to President George W. Bush. “This needs to be fixed in Congress, and there doesn’t seem to be any appetite for that.”
Trump has suggested to aides in recent weeks that the administration’s previous policy of separating families at the border could be used to deter crossings and that a version of the policy could be reinstated, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Some aides have resisted the idea of family separations, citing the public backlash last summer and noting that Trump himself reversed it….