Officials at the Department of Homeland Security were caught off guard by President Donald Trump’s decision to elevate Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff, according to CNN immigration reporter Priscilla Alvarez.
Trump announced Friday on Truth Social that Miller, his deputy chief of staff and the driving force behind the administration’s immigration agenda, will replace Susie Wiles starting Monday. Wiles is moving to the president’s political operation after submitting her resignation Thursday night.
Alvarez said she reached out to her DHS sources as soon as the news broke, and multiple officials told her they were “in disbelief.” She explained that the reaction had nothing to do with doubts about Miller’s closeness to the president. Instead, DHS staff have been on the receiving end of his pressure for years, dating back to Trump’s first term.
Miller has been described to her as almost a micromanager on immigration policy, Alvarez said, adding that the shakeup is a sign the president wants to fight.
CNN has previously reported that Miller’s influence was on full display in daily 10 a.m. conference calls with DHS officials, where he demanded updates from agencies and leaned on senior officials whose results fell short. Officials would often breathe a sigh of relief when Miller turned his attention to other agencies on those calls, according to the network.
Not everyone at the department was unhappy. Alvarez noted on X that while some DHS officials expressed disbelief, others welcomed the move. One DHS official told CNN that Trump had gotten his MAGA mojo back.
What both camps agreed on, Alvarez wrote, is that elevating the mastermind of Trump’s immigration agenda signals the administration is doubling down on its immigration crackdown, despite waning public support for its policies.
The promotion follows a rough election night for Republicans, who lost control of both the House and Senate on Tuesday. CNN reported that since the midterm losses, Trump had heard from several allies who urged him to change up his senior staff, and that he had spent the past several days asking allies whether Miller would be a suitable pick.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom some in the GOP have blamed for the party’s losses because of his leadership of the Iran war, welcomed the news on X, saying Miller never backs down and pledging his support.
Miller, 41, served as a senior adviser in Trump’s first administration and has been one of the president’s most loyal allies. In his current role as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, he has overseen the administration’s mass deportation effort.
In his announcement, Trump called Miller one of his most trusted advisors and thanked Wiles for what he called an outstanding job.
Democrats were quick to condemn the pick, casting Miller as the architect of the administration’s harshest immigration measures.
The change takes effect Monday, Nov. 9, making Miller the gatekeeper to the president for the final two years of Trump’s term as the White House braces for a Democratic-controlled Congress.
