Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen resigns, border leaders call for new direction

President Donald Trump says he’s accepted the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Trump announced the resignation in a tweet on Sunday.

Two sources said Nielsen went to the White House Sunday to speak with Trump following their trip to the border late last week. The people say she has been frustrated by difficulty getting other departments to help with the growing number of families coming crossing the border.

Nielsen had been on the chopping block before. Trump threatened to fire her and she previously considered resigning, but officials at the time recognized there were no obvious successors in place.

The people were not authorized to speak publicly about internal matters and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.

Nielsen herself came to El Paso last week. U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar (D-TX 16) called for her resignation, Sunday tweeting “I welcome her departure”

Escobar added:”She was the Chief cheerleader for the cruelest immigration policies of this generation.”
Trump is expected to take a tougher direction with immigration policy.

The acting Homeland Security Secretary will be current CBP commissioner Kevin McAleenan, who also visited El Paso two weeks ago, speaking just feet away from a group of migrants held under the downtown bridge.

U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM02) wrote in a statement the nation should “acknowledge the complexity, take responsibility rather than cast blame, and focus on serving people rather than scoring political points.”

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)