White House chief of staff tried to pressure acting DHS secretary to expel thousands of Hondurans... [View all]

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



White House chief of staff tried to pressure acting DHS secretary to expel thousands of Hondurans, officials say

By Nick Miroff November 9 at 10:39 AM

On Monday, as the Department of Homeland Security prepared to extend the residency permits of tens of thousands of Honduran immigrants living in the United States, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly called Acting Secretary Elaine Duke to pressure her to expel them, according to current and former administration officials.

Duke refused to reverse her decision and was angered by what she felt was a politically driven intrusion by Kelly and Tom Bossert, the White House homeland security adviser, who also called her about the matter, according to officials with knowledge of Monday’s events, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

“As with many issues, there were a variety of views inside the administration on a policy. The Acting Secretary took those views and advice [on] the path forward for TPS and made her decision based on the law,” said Jonathan Hoffman, the DHS spokesman, referring to a form of provisional residency called Temporary Protected Status. He added that it was also “perfectly normal for them to discuss the issue before she had reached a decision.”

A White House official confirmed the calls to Duke on Monday, but said Kelly’s frustration had to do “with Duke’s lack of decisiveness.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/white-house-chief-of-staff-tried-to-pressure-acting-dhs-secretary-to-expel-thousands-of-hondurans-officials-say/2017/11/09/914d3700-c54a-11e7-a441-3a768c8586f1_story.html

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UPDATE

Acting DHS secretary quitting after Kelly berated her for not expelling Honduran refugees: report

BRAD REED

09 NOV 2017 AT 10:50 ET

Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Elaine Duke plans to resign in protest over pressure from White House officials to expel tens of thousands of citizens of Honduras who are saying in the United States under protected status.

The Washington Post reports that White House chief of staff John Kelly called Duke into his office this week to pressure her to expel Hondurans who came to the United States as hurricane refugees.

“Duke refused to reverse her decision and was angered by what she felt was a politically driven intrusion by Kelly and Tom Bossert, the White House homeland security adviser, who also called her about the matter,” the Post’s sources claim.

The publication’s sources also say that Duke “has informed Kelly she plans to resign” in the wake of this week’s incident.

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https://www.rawstory.com/2017/11/acting-dhs-secretary-quitting-after-kelly-berated-her-for-not-deporting-honduran-refugees-report/