Donald Trump sought to reinstate his controversial family separation policy, clashing with a now departing cabinet member over the issue, according to a new report.
The president’s calls to once again systematically separate migrant families — many of them arriving at the nation’s southern border legally while seeking asylum — reportedly put him at odds with Kirstjen Nielsen, the sixth secretary to the Department of Homeland Security.
The "collision" was first reported by NBC News on Monday.
The homeland security chief told Mr Trump the agency was unable to reinforce his policy as it defied federal court orders prohibiting the measure, multiple sources told the outlet.
Moreover, Ms Nielsen reportedly reminded the president he would be overturning his own executive order, which he signed to end the separation of migrant families after widespread backlash spilled over into nationwide protests and major demonstrations on Capitol Hill.
Ms Nielsen, who was expected to stay on as the head of the agency until Wednesday, oversaw the implementation of the zero tolerance policy and defended the Department of Homeland Security under Mr Trump when grilled on Capitol Hill last year.
She has repeatedly denied the administration ever separated families at the border, despite public evidence, Congressional hearings and press reporting all indicating families were in fact separated under her watch. “We do not have a policy of separating families at the border,” she wrote in June 2018, adding, “Period.”
The secretary released a statement on Sunday saying it was a “great honour” to serve in the role.
“Despite our progress in reforming Homeland Security for a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside,” she wrote.
Ms Nielsen added, “I hope that the next Secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts to fully secure America’s borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation’s discourse.”
Ms Nielsen would be replaced by Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of US Customer and Border Patrol under Mr Trump, who has reportedly not ruled out reinstating the president’s zero tolerance policy.
