Trump shocked officials by rescinding his nomination for new ICE leader

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

last updated 7 April 2019

President Trump on Friday rescinded the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Ron's a good man, but we're going in a tougher direction," Trump said.

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But Trump reportedly had been going back and forth on his decision to nominate Vitiello in the first place for months. He was influenced by complaints from senior adviser Stephen Miller and ICE union boss Chris Crane, White House aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity said. Per CNN, Miller told Trump that Vitiello was not in favor of fully shuttering the southern border as Trump has threatened to do.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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