Kirstjen Nielsen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kirstjen Nielsen
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Official portrait, 2018
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| 6th United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| In office December 6, 2017 – April 10, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Elaine Duke Claire Grady (acting) |
| Preceded by | John F. Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Kevin McAleenan (acting) Alejandro Mayorkas |
| White House Principal Deputy Chief of Staff | |
| In office September 6, 2017 – December 6, 2017 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Chief of Staff | John F. Kelly |
| Preceded by | Katie Walsh |
| Succeeded by | James W. Carroll |
| Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – July 31, 2017 |
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| Secretary | John F. Kelly |
| Preceded by | Paul Rosen |
| Succeeded by | Chad Wolf |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kirstjen Michele Nielsen
May 14, 1972 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Education | Georgetown University (BS) University of Virginia School of Law (JD) |
Kirstjen Michele Nielsen (born May 14, 1972) is an American lawyer. She served as the United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019. Before that, she was a top assistant to President Donald Trump in the White House. She also worked for John F. Kelly when he was Secretary of Homeland Security.
Nielsen became the Secretary of Homeland Security on December 5, 2017. She was involved in the Trump administration family separation policy. She left her position in April 2019.
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Early Life and School
Kirstjen Michele Nielsen was born on May 14, 1972, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her parents, Phyllis Michele Nielsen and James McHenry Nielsen, were both doctors in the United States Army. Her father has Danish family roots, and her mother has Italian roots.
Kirstjen is the oldest of three children. She has a sister named Ashley and a brother named Fletcher. After she was born, her family moved from Colorado Springs to Clearwater, Florida.
After high school, Nielsen went to the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree there. Later, she studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law, finishing in 1999. She also studied Japanese studies in Japan at Nanzan University.
Early Career Steps
Nielsen worked in the government during the George W. Bush administration. She was a special assistant to the president. She also helped with prevention and response efforts at the White House Homeland Security Council.
She also helped start and lead an office at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This office handled rules and government relations for the TSA.
After leaving the Bush administration in 2008, Nielsen started her own company, Sunesis Consulting. Later, in 2013, her company received a government contract. This contract was to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with policy and writing.
Nielsen was also a senior member of a group at George Washington University. This group focused on cyber and homeland security. She also advised the World Economic Forum on global risks.
Working for the Trump Administration
Nielsen first worked as John F. Kelly's chief of staff at the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This was when he became Secretary on January 20, 2017.
In September 2017, Kelly became the White House Chief of Staff. Nielsen then moved to the White House to work as his main deputy chief of staff.
Secretary of Homeland Security
Becoming Secretary
On October 11, 2017, President Donald Trump chose Nielsen to be the new United States Secretary of Homeland Security. She would replace the acting secretary, Elaine Duke.
On December 5, 2017, the Senate approved her nomination with a vote of 62 to 37. The next day, December 6, 2017, she officially became the Secretary of homeland security.
Her Time as Secretary
In January 2018, Nielsen spoke to the United States Senate. She supported an immigration system based on skills and qualifications, rather than family ties. She was asked about a White House meeting where strong language was used to describe some countries. Nielsen said she did not hear a specific offensive word, but she did hear "tough language."
She was also asked if Norway was a mostly white country. Nielsen said she did not know for sure but imagined it was.
From March to December 2018, Nielsen was part of the Federal Commission on School Safety.
In March 2018, Nielsen agreed with a plan about military service for transgender individuals.
In May 2018, Nielsen said she was not aware of intelligence reports about Russia trying to influence the 2016 presidential election. A week later, she changed her statement. She then said she agreed with the intelligence community's findings.
In July 2018, Nielsen stated that Russia had interfered in the 2016 United States presidential election. She said there were no signs that Russia was targeting the 2018 midterm elections in the same way.
Nielsen also spoke about preventing violence. She said the DHS wanted to stop "any form of violence" that threatened Americans. She added that "anybody that is advocating violence, we need to work to mitigate."
In October 2018, Nielsen said that China had become a major threat to the U.S. She also confirmed that China was trying to influence U.S. elections.
In January 2019, Nielsen, along with other top officials, announced actions against a Chinese tech company, Huawei. This was related to concerns about national security and trade.
Family Separation Policy
On May 7, 2018, Secretary Nielsen officially put into action a policy that separated parents and children. This happened when families were accused of crossing the U.S.–Mexico border illegally.
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At a hearing on May 15, 2018, Nielsen said she would enforce this new policy. She noted that similar separations happen in criminal courts.
In June 2018, Nielsen stated that the Trump administration did not have a policy of separating migrant families. However, reports showed that about 2,000 children had been separated from their parents in six weeks. The DHS website also showed that a family separation policy was in place.
On June 18, 2018, Nielsen defended the policy. She said the administration had asked Congress to allow families to stay together while detained. She explained that children cannot be held with parents in criminal detention facilities. So, the options were to release both or separate them.
Nielsen held a press briefing in June 2018 as public concern grew. She said the media and Congress were misrepresenting the policy. She denied that the administration was using separations to push for immigration changes.
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On June 20, 2018, President Trump signed an executive order to end the "zero-tolerance" policy of separating children from families. Nielsen was present at the signing.
Reports later said that Nielsen had personally approved the family separation policy. This was after receiving a memo in April 2018 that suggested it to discourage migration.
Nielsen testified that parents had a choice to take their child back. She said parents who left children behind did so willingly. However, a 2021 investigation found that some parents were deported without their children.
In October 2019, Nielsen defended the family separation policy. She stated, "I don’t regret enforcing the law."
Border Events
During Nielsen's time, there were several notable events at the U.S.–Mexico border. These incidents involved law enforcement and migrants.
Use of Tear Gas
On November 25, 2018, groups of migrants tried to cross the border near California and Mexico. Some threw rocks at U.S. Border Patrol agents. The agents responded by using tear gas, which affected families with small children.
Nielsen stated that the group had been violent before. She said, "I refuse to believe that anyone honestly maintains that attacking law enforcement with rocks and projectiles is acceptable." She also claimed that women and children were being used as "human shields."
Deaths of Migrant Children
Two children from Guatemala died while in the care of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Jakelin Caal, age 7, died on December 8, 2018. Felipe Gómez Alonso, age 8, died on December 24, 2018.
Nielsen called these deaths "deeply concerning and heartbreaking." She ordered her agency to improve medical checks for children at the border. She also asked the United States Coast Guard to review CBP's medical programs. Nielsen said she would visit the border herself.
She stated that the changing immigration situation was due to a system that "rewards parents for sending their children across the border alone." She added that "smugglers, traffickers, and their own parents put these minors at risk."
Asylum Request
After being arrested in Thailand in February 2018, Anastasia Vashukevich asked for asylum in the United States. She said she feared for her life if she returned to Russia. Vashukevich claimed to have videos and audio recordings about "crymes of Russian government." She wanted to give these to U.S. authorities.
Her request was sent to the U.S. embassy in Bangkok. A spokesperson said the matter was sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). However, no one from DHS contacted Vashukevich.
Resignation
In May 2018, reports said Nielsen thought about resigning. This was after President Trump criticized her for not securing the borders. There were also reports of tension because she resisted Trump's call to separate immigrant parents from their children. Nielsen denied that she threatened to resign.
Nielsen resigned as Secretary of homeland security on April 7, 2019. This happened after a White House meeting with President Trump. Two days earlier, the president had said he wanted a "tougher" approach to immigration. She cut short a trip to Europe where she was discussing cybersecurity.
Trump announced that Kevin McAleenan would become acting secretary. Nielsen said she would stay until April 10, 2019, to help with a smooth changeover.
After her resignation, some groups urged companies not to hire former Trump administration officials involved in the family separation policy. A petition also circulated, asking scholars and media not to work with any organization that hired Nielsen.
Dara Lind of Vox described Nielsen as "arguably the most aggressive secretary in the department's short history."
After DHS
In October 2019, the Trump administration announced that Nielsen was appointed to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. This council advises on protecting important national systems.
In January 2024, D-Wave Systems, a company that works on quantum computing, announced that Nielsen joined its board of directors.
See also
In Spanish: Kirstjen Nielsen para niños
- List of female United States Cabinet members
