Trump might actually keep Kirstjen Nielsen around because of her caravan response

(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/ Getty Images)

published 4 December 2018

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen looks to have narrowly avoided a pink slip.

It was just a few weeks ago that The Washington Post reported President Trump was getting ready to fire Nielsen, having grown frustrated because he didn't think she was doing enough to keep the border secure. But Trump's position has changed, and Nielsen will probably keep her job "well into 2019," Politico reports.

The reason for this shift evidently comes down to the so-called migrant caravan. Nielsen's "tough stance" on the Central American migrants coming to the United States "seems to have impressed her most important audience: the president," Politico writes. After border officials were criticized for using tear gas against migrants and closing a port of entry, Nielsen released a lengthy statement on the Department of Homeland Security Facebook page defending the response, saying border officials had to protect themselves and contending that "the limited number of women and children in the caravan are being used by the organizers as 'human shields' when they confront law enforcement."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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