WASHINGTON, Nov 2, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump announced
Friday that a senior department official, Chad Wolf, would become the
nation’s new acting homeland security chief, a role at the center of his
crackdown on undocumented immigration.
Asked to confirm rumors that Wolf, a department undersecretary, would
assume the role, Trump told reporters: “Well he’s right now acting and we’ll
see what happens. We have great people in there.”
Trump announced the resignation of his current acting secretary, Kevin
McAleenan, three weeks ago, marking the latest departure in a long list of
top officials to leave his administration.
“As the president has said, Kevin McAleenan has done a tremendous job.
He’ll be leaving after Veterans Day and after he departs, Chad Wolf will
serve as acting secretary in the interim,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley
said.
McAleenan served in the role for six months, replacing Kirstjen Nielsen,
who sat at the helm of the powerful agency for 18 months.
Homeland Security is the third-largest department in the US government,
overseeing a number of agencies including the Coast Guard, Secret Service and
FEMA, which handles disaster preparedness, coordination and support.
In addition, it is in charge of immigration-related agencies such as
Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and
Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Wolf, who is the undersecretary for the department’s Office of Strategy,
Policy and Plans, has “made significant progress to strengthen US border
security, address the humanitarian crisis on the US Southwest Border, and
improve the integrity of the US immigration system” a biography on the DHS
website says.
He will be the fifth official under Trump to lead the department, which was
created in 2002.