Nielsen reportedly pushed back on Trump's demand to bring back family separation policy

President Trump for months has been pushing for his administration to bring back a policy of separating migrant families at the border, NBC News reported on Monday.
This report came following the resignation of Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen on Sunday. Nielsen, NBC reports, had told Trump that DHS could not bring back this controversial practice, citing court orders and the fact that Trump himself signed an executive order ending it. Still, Trump has reportedly been making this demand since January, having grown convinced that the policy is effective.
It's not entirely clear whether this disagreement is what directly led to Nielsen's ouster, although it seems likely it played a role in combination with several other factors, including Trump suddenly rescinding the nomination of Ron Vitiello for director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nielsen, CNN reports, was forced to resign as Senior Adviser Stephen Miller pushes for more resignations at the Department of Homeland Security. Nielsen also found requests from Trump to close ports of entry along the border "ineffective and inappropriate," per The New York Times.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan will now serve as the acting secretary of Homeland Security, and NBC reports that he would consider a new policy under which migrant parents would need to either be separated from their children or bring their children with them into detention. The Washington Post reported in October that this plan was being explored.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Southern barbecue: This year’s top three
Feature A weekend-only restaurant, a 90-year-old pitmaster, and more
-
Film reviews: Anemone and The Smashing Machine
Feature A recluse receives an unwelcome guest and a pioneering UFC fighter battles addiction
-
Music reviews: Geese, Jeff Tweedy, and Mariah Carey
Feature “Getting Killed,” “Twilight Override,” and “Here for It All”
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US