President-elect Donald Trump has tapped immigration hawk Stephen Miller as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, a prominent sign that enacting a mass deportation of immigrants is a key priority for him.
Miller joins the already announced Tom Homan, former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, as “border czar.” The two leaders have pushed for restrictive immigration policy in the nation and will likely have the resources to enforce their vision starting in January.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance took to social media to congratulate Miller on the promotion Monday.
“This is another fantastic pick by the president. Congrats @StephenM!” he wrote on X.
Miller served under the first Trump administration as a former senior adviser, during which he pushed for the separation of immigrant families in 2018 and more restrictive immigration policies to safeguard the border.
Immigration and migrant crime were top concerns for voters, and the president-elect’s swing state sweep reflects the mandate to enact the border crackdown he pledged.
As the nation has shifted right-ward on cultural issues, Miller could have more support to go even further in reshaping the nation’s relationship with immigrants.
“The immigration issue is extremely simple … seal the border, deport all the illegals,” Miller said at the Conservative Political Action Conference conference this year.
Miller then elaborated on a set of policies that will need to be implemented in a second Trump administration. “You have your Safe Third [Country] Agreements,” he said. “You have Remain in Mexico, finish the wall. You have robust prosecutions of illegal aliens. You do interior repatriation flights to Mexico … It’s very important you re-implement Title 42.”
During Trump’s first tenure, Miller was credited with shaping the administration’s immigration policy, which also included the decision to enact a travel ban on majority Muslim nations in addition to the controversial family separation program.
He also served as Trump’s speechwriter, helping write his inaugural address in 2017.
After leaving the Trump White House, Miller worked under his group, the America First Legal Foundation, an answer to the American Civil Liberties Union, to file Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints against “woke corporations,” transgender policies in school districts, and drag shows before minors.
“For too long, conservative and traditionalist Americans have been outflanked, outspent, out-organized, and outmaneuvered by radical progressive legal organizations. It has been a yearslong, one-sided legal assault,” Miller wrote in a statement about the group. “Whenever the Trump administration tried to implement positive, lawful change that put America First, these extremist organizations filed one lawsuit after another, shopping for the most favorable legal forum. Now, we must turn the tables.”
In a second Trump term, Miller will likely also work to push back against anti-white racism using Civil Rights-era laws.
“I believe that the equity agenda represents one of the single greatest threats to the survival of our constitutional system,” he told the Washington Post.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump campaign for additional comment.
Miller would report to Susie Wiles, the incoming White House chief of staff.
