Politics

Trump’s Former Aides Lead DHS Review At Transportation Security Administration

Former President Donald Trump speaking at the 75th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2019. (Screen Capture/CSPAN)

President-elect Donald Trump’s Homeland Security landing team on Monday launched its operations at the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) headquarters in Springfield, Va.

The team is tasked with evaluating the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes TSA, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) among others, to advance Trump’s second-term agenda, according to Politico. This agenda emphasizes fulfilling his pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Trump has re-enlisted several high-ranking officials from his first term to spearhead these efforts.

Leading the DHS review team is Robert Law, a former top official at Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Senate guide for Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who is Trump’s nominee for DHS secretary, Politico reported. Joining him are seasoned veterans like John Feere and Joe Edlow from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and USCIS respectively, alongside John Zadrozny from the Trump State Department.

The team also includes Karen Evans, formerly a key cybersecurity official at both the Department of Energy and DHS. Her focus will likely center on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency. Additional members are Troup Hemenway, a White House aide in Trump’s first administration; Robert Perez, ex-deputy commissioner at CBP; and Clark Barrow, who held various agency roles under Trump.

TRUMP: “We are going to start the largest mass deportation in the history of our country because we have no choice, it’s not sustainable” pic.twitter.com/se383oi0ga

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 8, 2024

Completing the team are former deputy general counsel at DHS, Sohan Dasgupta, former chief of staff to Republican Rep. Brandon Williams of New York and U.S. Agency for International Development official under Trump, Joe Guy, along with deputy and acting chief of staff at DHS Scott Erickson, Politico said. Transition spokesperson Brian Hughes said that the team has begun reporting the names of its members to the White House and initiating contact with their counterparts at various agencies.

These engagements aim to scrutinize and possibly revise Homeland Security policies set by the Biden administration, tackling a myriad of issues from cybersecurity to border security, Politico reported. Trump’s team signed the necessary authorization agreement with the Biden administration just before Thanksgiving, which leaves them slightly over a month to prepare for the transfer of power on Inauguration Day.

Immigration remains Trump’s top priority. He brushed off worries about the expense of his mass deportation strategy and stated during an NBC News phone interview that his plan carries “no price tag.” He pledged to launch an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign starting his first day in office to deport individuals residing in the U.S. illegally, especially those with criminal records.

His commitment extended to abolishing birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants born in the U.S., potentially settling a long-standing constitutional debate. The incoming president plans to end this practice, a divisive point in his immigration policy, with both critics and supporters acknowledging that the Supreme Court will probably decide the matter based on the 14th Amendment’s interpretation.

Trump also announced that he’s tapped Caleb Vitello to lead ICE and Rodney Scott for CBP. These agencies are key to his comprehensive immigration policy. Both nominees have extensive experience, with Vitello as the assistant director for the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs. Scott served as the Border Patrol chief during both the Trump and Biden administrations.

Even before taking office, Trump has been actively addressing border security issues and announced that he secured an agreement with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum to halt migration across the southern U.S. border. Highlighting their efforts in a Truth Social post, he described their discussion as “wonderful” and noted that they strategized on both stopping unauthorized migration and combating drug trafficking into the United States.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/CSPAN)