Evan Vucci/AP, FILE President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he tours a section of the southern border wall, in Otay Mesa, Calif., as acting Homeland Secretary Kevin McAleenan listens, Sept. 18, 2019. Three officials in particular -- Mark Morgan, acting chief of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Matthew Albence, acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- have aggressively advocated for stepped-up enforcement, including large-scale deportation raids targeting families.
Last June, a close Trump ally -- Brandon Judd, head of the National Border Patrol Council -- accused McAleenan of trying to undermine Trump's efforts to curb illegal immigration and insisted he was too liberal to effectively manage immigration enforcement.
McAleenan, at least publicly, has mostly declined to discuss internal politics. But in a recent interview with The Washington Post, he lamented that the public "message" on immigration had grown so polarizing.
"I think the words matter a lot," McAleenan told The Post. "If you alienate half of your audience by your use of your terminology, it's going to hamper your ability to ever win an argument."
While McAleenan is widely seen in government circles as more apolitical than many Trump loyalists -- in 2015, he won the highest civilian service award -- his time as acting secretary put him front and center as point man on some of the president's most controversial immigration policies.
Shortly after being confirmed as CBP chief, McAleenan helped to enforce Trump's zero-tolerance border policy, which resulted in some 2,600 children being separated from their parents in a matter of weeks so the adults could be detained elsewhere.
Internal investigators later determined the policy was poorly managed and noted the government lacked a central database to quickly reunite the families. One government report documented the emotional devastation on children in harrowing terms, describing kids who couldn't stop crying and who struggled to breathe because of the stress. One boy, according to the report, assumed his father has been killed and that he would be next.
(MORE: Gov't watchdog documents 'trauma,' fear of abandonment for separated migrant kids under Trump) McAleenan has since called the policy a mistake because, he said, it lost the public trust and was "not worth it."
But he continued to embrace other tough anti-immigration measures pushed by the administration. McAleenan was among several top officials who publicly backed Trump this year when he threatened tariffs against Mexico unless its government did more to stop the migrants. And he dramatically expanded a policy initiated under Nielsen that forced migrant families to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims were heard.
Human rights groups say the "Remain in Mexico" policy has created a severe humanitarian crisis in northern Mexico towns, where food and jobs are scarce and kidnappings and crime are increasing.
McAleenan also has denied allegations of mistreatment and neglect of children at U.S. Border Patrol facilities, even as the DHS inspector general documented in an internal investigation massive overcrowding and unsanitary conditions.
These policies have made McAleenan a target on the left. On Monday, progressive protesters prevented him from speaking at Georgetown University's law school, eventually forcing him from the stage.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations, Sept. 23, 2019, in Washington. From McAleenan's perspective, U.S. laws limiting the detention of children have only encouraged families to travel with kids to the border. And the result of the tougher policies this year is a much-welcome drop in border crossings, from some 144,000 last May to 52,000 in September.
"Despite the obvious dangers of the journey, smugglers have adapted their craft to exploit the weaknesses in our immigration system," he said, in remarks prepared for the Georgetown speech he wasn't allowed to give but later released. "Their operations are highly sophisticated -- with calculated planning on when and where to cross our borders."
McAleenan's decision to step down comes as the president faces an impeachment inquiry for his handling of discussions with the Ukraine government. McAleenan is not tied to that inquiry, spending the vast majority of his career in government has been focused on border security.
(MORE: Acting DHS secretary McAleenan says he has no problem standing up to Trump) When asked whether he ever stood up to Trump, McAleenan told ABC News last May that he did and his relationship with the president was better because of it.
"I'm a person of integrity," McAleenan said. "I've been a career law enforcement officer. I think [Trump] expects no less than the best facts and the best recommendations I can make to him, and I'll continue to do that."
McAleenan was nearing the deadline for serving in an acting role. The Federal Vacancies Reform Act allows acting officials to service 210 days without a formal nomination, possibly longer pending a confirmation.
It was not immediately clear who would replace him. Trump tweeted that he "will be announcing the new Acting Secretary next week. Many wonderful candidates!"
Last April, McAleenan picked David Pekoske, the Transportation Security Administration administrator, to work as his deputy.
ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.
Kaynak:Abcnews
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