Homeland Security nominee says no need for full U.S.-Mexico border wall [View all]

[DonViejo]

Source: Reuters




NOVEMBER 8, 2017 / 2:07 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

Mica Rosenberg

(Reuters) - Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security told a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday there was no need to build a wall on the Mexican border “from sea to shining sea” in remarks that contrasted with the president’s campaign pledge.

Kirstjen Nielsen repeated at her confirmation hearing what her predecessor, John Kelly, had said about the project. Kelly, Nielsen’s former boss, stepped down as head of the department this year to be Trump’s chief of staff. Building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border was one of Trump’s central campaign promises but so far only prototypes have been built as funding remains in question.

Nielsen, 45, served as Kelly’s deputy in the White House and before that as his chief of staff when he was secretary of homeland security in the opening months of Trump’s presidency.

In response to questions from senators on the Homeland Security Committee, Nielsen said she would work with “state and local actors on the ground” to find the best solutions for border security, including increasing the use of technology such as unmanned surveillance aircraft.




Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-dhs/homeland-security-nominee-says-no-need-for-full-u-s-mexico-border-wall-idUSKBN1D82UN