Rep.-elect Veronica Escobar (D), whose congressional district includes El Paso, Texas, on the border with Mexico, is calling for President Trump to replace Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
“I have zero confidence in her,” Escobar said in an interview Tuesday with Hill.TV’s Molly K. Hooper. “I think it’s appropriate that she be replaced.”
Nielsen has become a frequent target of Trump’s criticism, and recent media reports indicate the president is close to dismissing her amid a larger administration shake-up that has already seen the forced resignation of Jeff Sessions as attorney general.
In June, Nielsen came under scrutiny for saying the president had not established a “zero tolerance” immigration policy that separated thousands of migrant children from their parents after being arrested for illegally crossing into the U.S. The White House later abandoned the policy after intense criticism from both sides of the aisle.
“She has lied to the public and the media on the family separation issues,” Escobar said of Nielsen. “Someone who is unwilling to tell the truth to the media and to the public should have no position of authority in any public trust.”
But Escobar said she is equally worried about who would take Nielsen’s place as head of DHS.
“I am concerned that the president is going to put in her place another immigration hard-liner,” she said. “What we need is more oversight, more accountability, more transparency. My fear is that we will get someone worse.”
Escobar will soon represent Texas’s 16th Congressional District, a seat that has been represented since 2013 by Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D), who unsuccessfully challenged Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) rather than seek reelection in the House.
— Matthew Sheffield
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