DHS Watch : New Deputy Secretary of DHS Named
Posted Nov 07, 2003

Current head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), James Loy, has been named by President Bush as the replacement for Gordon England, the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mr. England will be returning to his prior position as Secretary of the Navy. We previously addressed Mr. England's impending move in our September 12, 2003 MurthyBulletin article, DHS Watch: Watch List Consolidation Not Complete, available on MurthyDotCom. After the Senate confirms his appointment, Mr. Loy will assume the new role.

In addition to his time with the TSA, Mr. Loy has 38 years of experience with the Coast Guard. In these capacities, he has gained extensive knowledge of homeland security issues and appears to be a logical choice by the Administration for this position. Since no one has been named to replace him as head of the TSA, it is possible that Mr. Loy will spend some time in both roles until a successor can be named.

It is unclear whether this change of guard in the number two position at the DHS will result in any changes to DHS priorities, though this is unlikely. We hope that Mr. Loy will be available to dialogue with members of AILA regarding the continuing changes at the DHS and how they impact lawful immigration to the United States.