Kevin McAleenan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin McAleenan
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| Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
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De facto, disputed
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| In office April 11, 2019 – November 13, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | David Pekoske (acting) |
| Preceded by | Kirstjen Nielsen |
| Succeeded by | Chad Wolf (acting) |
| Commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection | |
| In office March 20, 2018 – April 11, 2019 Acting: January 20, 2017 – March 20, 2018 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Randolph Alles (acting) Ron Vitiello Robert Perez (acting) |
| Preceded by | Gil Kerlikowske |
| Succeeded by | Chris Magnus |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kevin Kealoha McAleenan
September 5, 1971 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Education | Amherst College (BA) University of Chicago Law School (JD) |
| Awards | Service to America Award (2005) Presidential Rank Award (2015) |
Kevin Kealoha McAleenan (born September 5, 1971) is an American lawyer and government official. He served as the acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security from April to November 2019. Before that, he was the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This agency is in charge of securing the borders of the United States.
During his time at CBP, he worked on policies to manage people entering the United States. President Donald Trump chose McAleenan to be the acting Secretary of Homeland Security in April 2019. He left this role on October 11, 2019. The Government Accountability Office later said that his appointment as acting Secretary was not done correctly.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kevin McAleenan was born on September 5, 1971, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother had Finnish family roots, and his father had Irish family roots.
He went to Amherst College for his first degree. After that, he earned a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. He then worked as a lawyer in California for a few years.
Starting His Career
McAleenan worked as a private lawyer from 1998 to 2001. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, he decided to work for the government. He joined the new CBP Office of Antiterrorism. He helped set it up and later became its executive director.
In 2006, he became the area director for CBP at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). He was in charge of security for LAX and 17 other airport facilities. After working as a private consultant for two years, McAleenan returned to CBP in 2010. He led field operations, which means he oversaw how CBP worked on the ground.
In 2011, McAleenan became the assistant commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations. In this job, he managed airport operations. He was responsible for keeping the U.S. border safe. He also made sure that legal trade and travel could happen at 329 entry points in the United States. He also oversaw 70 locations in over 40 other countries.
From 2014 to 2017, McAleenan served as the deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Becoming Commissioner
McAleenan was the acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection from January 2017 to March 20, 2018.
President Donald Trump officially nominated McAleenan to become the permanent commissioner in May 2017. Many officials from both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations supported his nomination. They sent a letter to Congress saying they strongly supported the "supremely qualified" McAleenan. The Senate confirmed his nomination on March 19, 2018, with a vote of 77 to 19. He officially started his role on March 20, 2018.
His Time as Commissioner
As Commissioner, McAleenan worked on the Trump administration's "Zero Tolerance" policy on immigration. This policy aimed to discourage people from entering the U.S. illegally. He was one of the strongest supporters of this policy within the administration. In April 2018, he asked Kirstjen Nielsen, who was the Secretary of Homeland Security, to start putting the policy into action.
In August 2018, McAleenan spoke to The New York Times. He said he knew it was against the law to hold families for longer than 90 days. He also said that he felt President Trump's executive order was an "important change." He supports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying they do "critical work." He stated that there was no plan for families to be separated forever. He also said that CBP's job is to enforce the law.
In September 2018, McAleenan told the USA Today editorial board that he planned to spend more time improving border patrol facilities. He also planned to visit the southwest United States, where many migrant children were being held.
On June 11, 2019, McAleenan spoke to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. He said the "Zero Tolerance policy lasted six weeks." However, records from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) later showed that separations began in February 2018 and continued into March 2019.
On June 28, 2019, McAleenan disagreed with media reports about the conditions for migrants held at the U.S.-Mexico border. He said that detained children had "appropriate meals" and "showers as soon as they can be provided." But a report from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General on July 2, 2019, found that some detention centers in the Rio Grande Valley did not give children access to showers or hot meals. This went against CBP standards.
Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
President Trump named McAleenan as the acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security on April 8, 2019. This happened after Kirstjen Nielsen resigned from the position.
McAleenan resigned from this acting role on October 11, 2019. President Trump announced his departure on Twitter. He said McAleenan wanted to "spend more time with his family and go to the private sector." News reports said that White House officials tried to convince him not to resign. However, McAleenan felt he had done all he could as acting secretary. Trump also announced that he would name McAleenan's replacement the next week. His successor, Chad Wolf, was sworn in on November 13, 2019.
Later, on August 14, 2020, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a finding. They said that when Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned, the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) should have taken over as acting Secretary. Instead, Kevin McAleenan, the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), took the role. The GAO said the official who should have been acting Secretary was Christopher C. Krebs. This finding also meant that McAleenan's successor, Chad Wolf, and his Deputy Acting Secretary, Ken Cuccinelli, did not properly get their positions.
Awards and Recognition
In 2005, McAleenan received the Service to America Medal, Call to Service Award. He earned this for his leadership in creating a plan to secure the border after the September 11, 2001, attacks. In 2015, McAleenan was given the Presidential Rank Award. This is the highest award a civil servant can receive in the United States.
See also
In Spanish: Kevin McAleenan para niños
- List of Trump administration dismissals and resignations
