>> Thompson: JOINING ME NOW FOR
MORE ON THIS DEVELOPING STORY IS
ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, HOMELAND
SECURITY REPORTER FOR THE "NEW
YORK TIMES."
I WANTED TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> Thompson: I WANTED TO FIRST
ASK YOU ABOUT McALEENAN'S
TENURE, HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
I MEAN, DURING HIS SIX MONTHS ON
THE JOB, HE LARGELY DELIVERED
WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTED DOWN
AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER, RIGHT?
>> YES, I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO
REMEMBER THE TIME IN WHICH KEVIN
McALEENAN ASSUMED THE POSITION
AS THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY.
HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY
KIRSTEN NEILSEN HAD JUST BEEN
FORCED OUT OF THE POSITION BY
THE PRESIDENT, WHO WAS
INFURIATED OVER THE NUMBER OF
BORDER CROSSINGS OCCURRING AT
THE SOUTHWEST BORDER.
IN MAY, THERE WERE ABOUT 144...
MORE THAN 144,000 ENFORCEMENT
ACTIONS AT THE SOUTHWEST BORDER.
NOW LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE.
THOSE APPREHENSIONS HAVE
DECLINED BY MORE THAN 60%.
THINGS HAVE RELATIVELY CALMED
DOWN AT THE BORDER.
BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, THERE WAS
FRICTION BETWEEN HIM AND THE
PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE
ADVISER STEPHEN MILLER, KNOWN AS
THE ARCHITECT OF THE PRESIDENT'S
IMMIGRATION AGENDA.
IN THE END, KEVIN McALEENAN,
WHILE HE DID BRING BORDER
CROSSINGS DOWN, HE DID HAVE-- HE
DID TAKE ISSUE WITH SOME OF THE
INITIATIVES THAT OTHERS AROUND
HIM WANTED TO PUSH.
>> Thompson: CAN YOU TALK A
LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT?
I MEAN, WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE
INITIATIVES THAT HE WAS A LITTLE
BIT MORE RESISTANT TO DURING HIS
TIME?
>> WELL, YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT
EARLIER THIS YEAR THERE WAS A
PUSH BY-- PARTICULARLY THE WHITE
HOUSE, AS WELL AS MARK MORGAN,
WHO WAS LEADING ICE AT THE TIME,
IS NOW LEADING CUSTOMS AND
BORDER PROTECTION-- TO LAUNCH A
NATIONWIDE SWEEP-UP OF MIGRANT
FAMILIES WHO HAD RECENTLY
CROSSED THE BORDER, THE ICE
RAIDS THAT-- AS THEY WERE CALLED
AT THAT TIME.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, KEVIN
McALEENAN DIDN'T WANT THAT TO
HAPPEN.
THE IDEA THAT THE PRESIDENT
WOULD CUT STATE DEPARTMENT AID
TO CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRIES,
THIS WAS SOMEBODY-- KEVIN
McALEENAN-- WHO BELIEVED IN
ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF
THE REASONS OF WHICH PEOPLE
LEAVE CENTRAL AMERICAN
COUNTRIES.
HE BELIEVED IN STATE DEPARTMENT
AID AND WAS DISAPPOINTED WHEN
THAT WAS CUT.
AT THE SAME TIME, KEVIN
McALEENAN DID OVERSEE THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
WHEN SOME OF THE MORE AGGRESSIVE
INITIATIVES WERE IMPLEMENTED AND
EXPANDED.
>> Thompson: HE WAS AN ACTING
SECRETARY.
HE WAS NEVER NOMINATED FOR FULL
CONFIRMATION.
I MEAN, WHAT'S THE IMPACT ON THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
TO BE WITHOUT A PERMANENT HEAD
FOR SO LONG?
>> NOT JUST HIM, EITHER.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK.
SO, THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF HOMELAND SECURITY: HIM,
ACTING POSITION.
HEAD OF U.S.C.I.S.: KEN
CUCCINELLI, ACTING POSITION.
MARK MORGAN: THE HEAD OF CUSTOMS
AND BORDER PROTECTION, ACTING
POSITION.
HEAD OF ICE RIGHT NOW: MATT
ALBERT, ACTING POSITION.
WHAT THAT HAS DONE TO THE AGENCY
IF YOU TALK TO CAREER
OFFICIALS IN THE AGENCY, IT HAS
CREATED A SENSE WHERE THERE IS
AN INSTABILITY OF LEADERSHIP
RIGHT NOW.
AND, REMEMBER, WE'RE ALSO
TALKING ABOUT D.H.S.
AND D.H.S. WAS CREATED IN THE
WAKE OF THE SEPTEMBER 11
ATTACKS, AND IT WAS NOT CREATED
TO BE SOLELY A IMMIGRATION
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, WHICH MANY
WOULD SAY IS WHAT IT HAS BECOME
UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP.
AND IT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY
THINGS OUTSIDE OF THAT, WHETHER
IT BE CYBER-SECURITY, DISASTER
RELIEF, AS WELL AS SECURING THE
COUNTRY AND INFORMATION SHARING
IN REGARDS TO TERRORISM.
>> Thompson: ANY IDEAS ABOUT WHO
MIGHT BE TAPPED NEXT FOR THE
HOMELAND SECURITY JOB?
>> THERE'S A LOT OF NAMES THAT
HAVE BEEN FLOATED.
I MEAN, IT'S WELL KNOWN THAT
INDIVIDUALS LIKE KEN CUCCINELLI
AND MARK MORGAN DISPLAY THE
RHETORIC THAT PLEASES THE
PRESIDENT.
LET'S REMEMBER HOW THEY GOT THE
JOB.
THEY WENT ON FOX NEWS AND
ADVOCATED FOR THE PRESIDENT'S
POLICIES.
I MEAN, PREVIOUSLY, A VACANCY
ACT THAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE
STRICTLY FOLLOWED.
HOWEVER, WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT
THERE WERE RULES CHANGED BY THE
WHITE HOUSE WITH THE COOPERATION
OF SENIOR HOMELAND SECURITY
OFFICIALS TO MAKE IT SO THAT IT
WOULD NOT NEED TO GO TO THE NEXT
PERSON IN LINE.
THAT WOULD BE, RIGHT NOW, DAVID
PEKOSKE, WHO IS THE DEPUTY
SECRETARY, WHO IS IN AN ACTING
POSITION.
THE PRESIDENT IS GOING TO CHOOSE
WHO HE IS GOING TO CHOOSE.
I CAN TELL YOU, THOUGH, WHOEVER
HE DOES CHOOSE, I THINK IT WILL
BE A WHILE BEFORE THAT PERSON IS
NOMINATED, IF THEY'RE NOMINATED
AT ALL.
>> Thompson: ZOLAN
KANNO-YOUNGS WITH THE "NEW YORK
TIMES," THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.