Acting DHS secretary threatened to quit after Miller's meddling

The Department of Homeland Security has remained embroiled in drama even after the tense resignation of former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in April.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan threatened to leave his post after President Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller tried to dictate agency hiring, administration officials told The Washington Post on Friday. McAleenan blocked Miller's attempts, but he reportedly made known that he needed to have more control over his agency.

The dispute revolved around former FBI official Mark Morgan, whom Trump selected to be the new director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Miller, though, sought to have Morgan installed as the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection instead. But McAleenan made clear to White House officials, including Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, that he, not Miller, was the head of the DHS in closed-door meetings. One anonymous Trump aide described the clash as an "immigration knife fight."

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McAleenan ultimately prevailed and Morgan will take over as acting ICE director next week. Read more at The Washington Post.

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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.