Conservatives Back Cuccinelli to Lead DHS: ‘Unwavering’ Advocate for Trump

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 12: Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Conservatives are throwing their support behind Acting United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ken Cuccinelli to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), calling him an “unwavering” advocate of President Trump’s “America First” agenda.

This month, Trump announced he would soon be replacing Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan after the former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner gave an interview to the Washington Post where he slammed the president’s “Zero Tolerance” policy at the border and decried the term “illegal alien” as having “racial overtones.”

In an open letter to Trump, more than 100 conservatives and organizations say Cuccinelli has a “proven” record in implementing the administration’s agenda.

The letter states:

Conservatives unequivocally support Ken Cuccinelli for the position of Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. [Emphasis added]

As acting head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Cuccinelli has proven himself exceptionally capable of executing the president’s agenda on complex and sensitive issues. Rather than backing away from a media that is at times overtly hostile to the president’s enforcement of the law, Cuccinelli has consistently been an unwavering, articulate, and extremely knowledgeable advocate of the policies his agency has put forward. [Emphasis added]

Moreover, Cuccinelli is a proven executive with a personal touch, and an excellent manager. In an agency with many components, he will be a leader that builds a team atmosphere in order to get the work accomplished. His tenure at USCIS has seen a renewal in agency morale, and discipline of those attempting to undermine the president’s policies. [Emphasis added]

As a knowledgeable lawyer and former Attorney General of Virginia, Cuccinelli is uniquely qualified to navigate the complexities of the numerous statutes and regulations DHS is tasked with enforcing. He understands law enforcement priorities and the importance of securing the nation’s homeland. Additionally, he brings an outsider’s perspective to a bureaucracy of nearly 250,000 people, and will offer fresh insights in processes and redundancies in need of streamlining of a huge federal agency. [Emphasis added]

Cuccinelli is a champion of conservative policies, and a man of unimpeachable character. We have no doubt that he will execute the president’s agenda with the integrity, commitment, and excellence that we have known him to bring to every other position. He has our strongest support. [Emphasis added]

Those who signed the letter include Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning, Conservative Action Project Chairman Alfred Regnery, Republican Study Committee Executive Director Scott Parkinson, Senate Conservatives Fund Executive Director Mary Vought, and a handful of former advisers to President Ronald Reagan.

While at USCIS, Cuccinelli has overseen the highest rate of progress for Trump’s pro-American immigration agenda, implementing vital policies like the “Public Charge” rule to prevent welfare-dependent legal immigration and a new regulation to ensure that American taxpayers are not subsidizing healthcare for legal immigrants who want to permanently resettle in the U.S.

While Cuccinelli has been rumored to replace McAleenan — along with Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan — reports have circulated that former outsourcing lobbyist Chad Wolf, an ally to former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, is in the running for the spot.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder. 

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