• Kelly known for loyalty, leadership
Even Trump’s critics tout Kelly’s work at head ofHomeland Security
When President Trump introduced John Kelly as his new chief of staff in the Oval Office onMonday, he lauded the retired Marine for running the Department of Homeland Security for six months with “very little controversy.”
In fact, Kelly oversaw some of the most controversial policies of Trump’s agenda, including a travel ban targeting several majority- Muslim countries, a reduction in refugee admissions and stepped- up deportations of undocumented immigrants.
What Trump may have meant is that Homeland Security under Kelly has been one of the few sources of consistency in an otherwise turbulent administration. Kelly has not publicly clashed with the president, as have other agency heads.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- S. C., a frequent Trump critic, called Kelly “one of the strongest and most natural leaders I’ve ever seen” and an effective communicator with Congress.
Even critics of Trump’s immigration policies concede that Kelly has carried out the job given to him.
Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, an immigration advocacy group, called him as a “loyal soldier.”
Janet Murguía, president and CEO of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest immigration advocacy group, said immigrants and their supporters initially hoped Kelly would be a “moderating” voice. Instead, Murguía said, Kelly chose to blindly follow Trump’s commands and went even further than needed.
“It’s one thing to be in the military and carry out orders,” Murguía said. “But you have more latitude when you’re in government. Bringing a humanitarian lens to that work is something we thought would be possible for Gen. Kelly. But instead, he took the approach that appeased the hard- line Trump supporters.”
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for lower levels of immigration, said the retired Marine Corps general’s lack of civilian government experience proved to be a bonus because it allowed Kelly to focus on his marching orders and avoid policy or personnel fights that have embroiled other departments, such as Justice — where Trump has criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions— and State.
“Obviously, Justice has had all kinds of stuff going on, and ( Secretary of State Rex) Tillerson is hinting he might be looking to move on,” Krikorian said. “It’s partly because Kelly is not a drama queen,” andHomeland Security “has put its head down and stuck to its job.”