Sen. Chris Coons, Del., on Monday joined the growing number of congressional Democrats criticizing departing Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen on her way out the door.
“She will be known for implementing a cruel policy of forcibly separating parents and children rather than strengthening our border,” Coons said.
Nielsen was forced to resign Sunday after a meeting with President Trump at the Oval Office.
[Related: Ann Coulter celebrates Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation: ‘Hallelujah!’]
Senator @ChrisCoons says @SecNielsen will go down in history as the cabinet secretary that oversaw the so-called “child separation policy.”
“She will be known for implementing a cruel policy of forcibly separating parents and children rather than strengthening our border.” pic.twitter.com/LPv0PFAFWz
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 8, 2019
The relationship between Nielsen and Trump had grown more tense in recent months and she was ultimately forced to resign after the president reportedly blamed her for an influx of migrants arriving at the southern border.
Trump has said he wants a tougher stance on illegal immigration.
The strategy Coons was referring to is the so-called “family separation policy,” which mandated that children and adults who enter the country illegally seeking asylum be detained by federal immigration officials separately.
“She had a background in cybersecurity, but I don’t think that’s what she’s going to be known for,” Coons said. “And it frankly has to raise the question for anyone who is offered a cabinet opportunity by President Trump … whether their reputation will survive.”
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., issued a statement Sunday saying: “Hampered by misstep after misstep, Kirstjen Nielsen’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security was a disaster from the start.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also weighed in after news of Nielsen’s resignation broke.
When even the most radical voices in the administration aren’t radical enough for President Trump, you know he’s completely lost touch with the American people. https://t.co/4hyz8VGwQv
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 7, 2019
“When even the most radical voices in the administration aren’t radical enough for President Trump, you know he’s completely lost touch with the American people,” Schumer tweeted.
Trump has expressed that separating families is a good way to discourage large groups of migrants from crossing the border, according to a recent NBC News report.
