Overview

Kirstjen Michele Nielsen served as the sixth Secretary of Homeland Security from December 2017 to April 2019. She is most associated with the implementation of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy; which resulted in the systematic separation of migrant children; including infants and toddlers; from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. Under this policy; at least 5,556 children were separated from their families according to government records; though the actual number may be higher. DHS's own Inspector General found the department lacked any system to track separated families or reunify them. Children were held in cage-like chain-link enclosures; and reports documented children sleeping on concrete floors under foil blankets. At least seven children died in U.S. immigration custody during Nielsen's tenure. Despite evidence that the policy was designed as a deterrent; Nielsen repeatedly stated in congressional testimony and press conferences that "we do not have a policy of separating families at the border"; a claim contradicted by internal documents and subsequent court findings. A federal judge ordered families reunified in June 2018; but years later hundreds of parents still had not been located. After leaving office; Nielsen joined a cybersecurity consulting firm.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (4)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports