Trump taps John Kelly to lead DHS, Joe Arpaio likely out of Cabinet consideration

PHOENIX — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine Gen. John Kelly to lead the Department of Homeland Security, meaning outgoing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is likely out of Cabinet consideration.

Arpaio’s name began being circulated for a Cabinet position shortly after Trump won November’s general election and he said he would be open to a job in the administration.

“I haven’t received any calls, I haven’t placed any calls. I didn’t support (Trump) to get a job,” Arpaio told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News last month. “… But I do have another background (in federal law enforcement).”

A jump to becoming the head of Homeland Security was not entirely out of reach for Arpaio. He had been a staunch advocate for border security over the years and was strongly in favor of Trump’s stances on immigration and terrorism.

In a speech at the Republican National Convention, Arpaio said the United States is “more concerned with the rights of illegal aliens” and the country shouldn’t have to be concerned with “terrorists coming over our border, infiltrating our communities and causing massive destruction and mayhem.”

Had Arpaio gotten the call, he would not have been the first prominent Arizonan to fill the position. When President Barack Obama took office in 2008, he brought in then-Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to lead Homeland Security. She filled the role until 2013.

Kelly, who joined the Marine Corps in 1970, retired earlier this year, wrapping up a final, three-year post as head of U.S. Southern Command. His time overseeing the command spanned some of the more fractious debate over the Obama administration’s ultimately failed pledge to close Guantanamo.

He served three tours in Iraq.

Highly respected, often outspoken, and known as a fierce, loyal commander, the senior Kelly will take over the nation’s newest federal agency, with its expanse of responsibilities — from airport security and terrorism to immigration and the Coast Guard. The department was formed after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in an effort to get the U.S. government better-positioned to prevent and respond to future attacks.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kelly would be the fifth person to lead the department and the first one who is not a lawyer. It is comprised of agencies that protect the president, respond to disasters, enforce immigration laws, protect the nation’s coastlines and secure air travel.

Kelly’s selection, however, also bolsters concerns about an increase in military influence in U.S. policy in a Trump White House. And it raises the specter of militarization along the border, as Trump moves forward on his signature issue of immigration and his promise to build a wall along the southern border and go after people living in the country illegally.

Transition officials confirmed Trump’s pick of Kelly on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly before any official announcement.

In Kelly, Trump would have another four-star military officer for his administration. James Mattis, a retired four-star Army general, is Trump’s pick for defense secretary.

Immigration enforcement is a familiar issue for Kelly. Southern Command, which is based in South Florida, regularly works with DHS on missions to identify and dismantle immigrant smuggling networks. And it has partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an operation targeting human smuggling into the U.S. and helped with the rescue of children arriving alone at U.S. borders.

The department has struggled with its identity, trying to balance its ties with the military and maintain its role as a civilian law enforcement agency. Customs and Border Protection — which includes the Border Patrol — and the Coast Guard routinely partner with Southern Command to coordinate drug smuggling investigations in the Caribbean.

If immigration enforcement is prioritized the way Trump promised during his presidential campaign, the department will be challenged with beefing up the screening of immigrants allowed to come into the U.S., and finding additional resources to track down and deport people living in America illegally. It will also need to find a place to house these immigrants while they’re waiting for deportation.

Scraping for federal funds and equipment to battle such problems will not be a new challenge for Kelly. As the head of Southern Command, he was often blunt about his need for more resources to fight the drug trade that sweeps into the U.S. from South America.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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