Top Kelly aide, cybersecurity expert, named to run Homeland Security

Washington — President Donald Trump has nominated Kirstjen Nielsen, a cybersecurity expert and top aide to chief of staff John F. Kelly, to take over the Department of Homeland Security, the White House announced Wednesday.

The appointment of Nielsen likely will mean a continuation of policies followed by Kelly. The retired Marine general won Trump’s praise for his tough approach to immigration enforcement during his six months running the department.

Nielsen, who served as Kelly’s deputy at Homeland Security before following him to the White House, has experience in disaster response and started a consulting firm that gave her extensive expertise in cybersecurity, a top priority for the department.

In picking Nielsen, Trump passed over potential nominees with close ties to administration officials who favor hard-line efforts to restrict both legal and illegal immigration.

Among the people under consideration, according to a former Homeland Security official, were Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state who is heading Trump’s voter fraud commission and who has been a leader in the immigration-restriction movement, and Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., who launched his political career as an anti-immigration mayor.

The decision to go with Nielsen indicates that Kelly, by recommending a top aide and a Homeland Security veteran, was able to exert more influence than Stephen Miller, Trump’s speechwriter and domestic policy adviser, who has pushed measures to severely restrict immigration.

The choice was greeted with praise and some relief by Homeland Security veterans, who said Nielsen is well prepared to take the job.