DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigns

WASHINGTON - Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary, resigned Sunday after meeting with President Donald Trump, ending a tumultuous tenure in charge of the border security agency that had made her the target of the president’s criticism.

“I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside,” Nielsen said in a resignation letter. “I hope that the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America’s borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation’s discourse.”

Three people familiar with the meeting said Nielsen had requested it to plan “a way forward” at the border, in part thinking she could have a reasoned conversation with Trump about her role. She came prepared with a list of things that needed to change to improve the relationship with Trump.

Trump in recent weeks had asked Nielsen to close the ports of entry along the border and to stop accepting asylum-seekers, which Nielsen found ineffective and inappropriate. While the 30-minute meeting was cordial, Trump was determined to ask for her resignation. After the meeting, she submitted it.

Trump has ratcheted up his anti-immigration message in recent months as he seeks to galvanize supporters before the 2020 election, shutting down the government and then declaring a national emergency to secure funding to build a border wall, cutting aid to Central American countries and repeatedly denouncing what he believes is a crisis of migrants trying to get into the country.

He took aim again Sunday night after announcing Nielsen’s departure, tweeting, “Our Country is FULL!”

Nielsen said on Twitter she plans “to stay on as secretary through Wednesday” in order “to assist with an orderly transition.” The abruptness was unusual because the Department of Homeland Security currently does not have a deputy secretary, who would normally take the reins. The president said in a tweet that Kevin McAleenan, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, would take over as the acting replacement for Nielsen, who became the sixth secretary to lead the agency in late 2017.

But by law, the undersecretary for management, Claire Grady, who is currently serving as acting deputy secretary, is next in line to be acting secretary. The White House will have to fire her to make McAleenan acting secretary, people familiar with the transition said. Grady has told colleagues that she has no intention of resigning to make way for McAleenan.