Stephen Miller is reportedly behind Kirstjen Nielsen's exit from DHS

Kirstjen Nielsen.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

There is no love lost between President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who announced her resignation on Sunday.

Trump has long been frustrated with Nielsen, and vice versa, people with knowledge of the situation told NBC News. Nielsen became head of DHS in December 2017, and her biggest defender in the administration was her predecessor, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Last May, it was reported that Trump berated her during a meeting, angry over the rising number of undocumented migrants crossing the southern border. Nielsen drafted a resignation letter, but chose not to submit it.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.