Trump's DHS nominee suggests a border wall alone 'will not do the job'

Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly suggested Tuesday during his confirmation hearing for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security that President-elect Donald Trump's proposed border wall would not be enough to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants. "A physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job. It has to be really a layered defense," Kelly said, advocating for additional protections in conjunction with Trump's proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The border wall wasn't the only point on which Kelly diverged somewhat from his soon-to-be boss. Though Trump has repeatedly shied away from embracing the intelligence community's findings about Russian cyberattacks ahead of the U.S. presidential election, Kelly said Tuesday he accepts the intelligence report "with high confidence."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up