Kelly Leaves Post as Secretary of DHS

On July 31, 2017, John Kelly was sworn in as President Trump’s new chief of staff, replacing the recently ousted Reince Priebus. Prior to taking on his new role, Kelly had been serving as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), since January 20, 2017.

Elaine Duke Assumes Temporary Role of Acting Secretary

Until a new DHS Secretary is nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate, Elaine Duke will serve as the Acting Secretary of the DHS. Duke had been serving as the Deputy Secretary of the DHS since being sworn in on April 10, 2017. At this time, President Trump has not named anyone he intends to nominate as the new Secretary of DHS, and it is unclear when he is expected to do so.

Conclusion

The DHS is made up of 22 agencies including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These three agencies are extensively involved with the implementation of U.S. immigration policies. The DHS is the largest federal agency in terms of its number of employees. So, whoever takes over the role of Secretary of the DHS may very well have a significant impact on U.S. immigration policy.

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