How Stephen Miller Used The Media To Make Homeland Security Pass Harsh Policies
Stephen Miller Image by Getty Images
White House senior adviser Stephen Miller used a conservative media outlet to get around Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and implement harsher immigration policies, Quartz reported.
Whenever Nielsen would decide against tougher measures, Miller would forward the latest numbers on aspiring migrants at the border to the Washington Examiner, former agency officials told Quartz. A story would follow with a sensational headline and a critique of Nielsen. Miller would print out the story and pass it to President Trump, who would then call Nielsen and lambast her, leading her to cave in — and for Miller to get his way.
Nielsen resigned on Sunday, though it is unclear whether she chose to leave her post or was pressured into departing. Other leaders within the department also announced their departures this week. This overhaul is reportedly to be directed by Miller, the Jewish aide known for his staunch support of suppressing immigration. He was the face of the controversial travel ban last summer and helped Trump push immigration-related tactics ahead of the midterm elections.
Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
