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DHS Started Preparing Against Iran Threats Months Ago, Acting Secretary Says; The New Iranian General to Watch

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By Daily Caller. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said the U.S. government was well prepared for any threats from Iran because it had prepared months in advance.

Wolf visited Yuma, Arizona, earlier in January to commemorate 100 miles of border wall built since the beginning of the Trump administration. The acting DHS chief spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation about construction progress, the roadblocks to securing the border, and about the recent security threats from Iran — which is largely under the purview of DHS.

While the events earlier in January between the U.S. military and Iran appeared to catch the public by surprise, Wolf revealed that his government was able to hit the ground running to ensure the public was safe because it had been preparing since the summer.

“The nation-state of Iran and the threats that surround that are nothing new to the department, nothing new to the U.S. government generally,” Wolf told the DCNF. “We started working collaboratively within our department to come up with contingency plans for the variety of different threats. We had that on the shelf this summer, so when the events on the second took place, we took that off and started implementing those right away.” (Read more from “DHS Started Preparing Against Iran Threats Months Ago, Acting Secretary Says” HERE)

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The New Iranian General to Watch

By Politico. The U.S. killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani earlier this month deprived Iran of one of its most singular leaders, and created new questions about Iran’s strategy of building and maintaining its power in the region. Without its charismatic and high-profile commander, would Iran be forced to retrench and pause? Or would it find new ways to lash out? . . .

This week, Iran announced a new and potentially more telling promotion: The new Quds Force deputy commander will be Gen. Muhammad Hussein-Zada Hejazi, who most recently commanded the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps, overseeing Iran’s ties to Hezbollah and the Quds Force activities throughout the Levant more broadly.

The message behind Hejazi’s promotion is clear: Soleimani may be dead, but the Quds Force he led lives on, and is taking active measures to ensure it is able to continue pursuing the regional strategy he championed.

Forced to rebuild the proxy management and command and control mechanisms that Soleimani once ran himself by force of personality and longtime connections, Iran is developing a new strategy to oversee what Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described as “fighters without borders.” And the strategy comes down to this: Since no one commander can replace Soleimani, Iran’s proxy network will now be run by committee, with the Quds Force cobbling together a crew of its more senior and experienced managers to collectively fill the roles Soleimani had taken on himself. Key leaders of Iranian proxy groups, especially Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, are sure to play major roles. But policymakers should pay especially close attention to personnel shifts and promotions within the Quds Force itself. (Read more from “The New Iranian General to Watch” HERE)

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DHS Secretary Abruptly Resigns

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President Trump announced Sunday afternoon that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen “will be leaving her position” after 16 months in the job.

Trump also announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan will replace Nielsen as acting secretary, tweeting: “I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!”

Nielsen tweeted Sunday evening that she had submitted her resignation and added: “Its [sic] been an honor of a lifetime to serve with the brave men and women of @DHSgov. I could not be prouder of and more humbled by their service, dedication, and commitment to keep our country safe from all threats and hazards.” She included an image of a resignation letter to Trump in which she wrote: “Despite our progress in reforming homeland security for a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside.” . . .

Nielsen met with Trump at the White House Sunday amid an ongoing influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border that has been taxing America’s immigration system and sparking frustration within the administration. The Associated Press, citing two sources, reported that Nielsen had been frustrated with the difficulty of getting other departments to help deal with the growing number of families crossing the southwestern border. (Read more from “DHS Secretary Abruptly Resigns” HERE)

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Dem Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, Omar Propose Slashing Homeland Security Funds

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A group of newly elected far-left congresswomen want to slash funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the primary U.S. agency tasked with border security.

“Cut, do not increase funding” to the DHS, reads a bolded section of a “Dear Colleague” letter that was obtained Thursday by The Daily Beast.

The four-member letter is signed by socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., anti-Semitic, pro-Islamist Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.

In justifying their proposal, the group claims that “a number of agencies housed at DHS have abused their authority and the fidelity of public resources.”

“Funds are being allocated internally not to make our nation safer, but to build desert camps to inhumanely house infants and to prosecute immigrants who are part of the fabric of our community,” the memo claims.

Nowhere in the letter do the four congressional Democrats address actual border security issues or the illegal migration crisis that is negatively impacting the lives of millions of American citizens. (For more from the author of “Dem Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, Omar Propose Slashing Homeland Security Funds” HERE)

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Watch: Dem Rep Tries to Use Baby Jesus to Savage DHS Secretary

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Rep. Luis Gutierrez went on a minutes-long tirade against DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Thursday in which he not only called her a liar, but also compared President Trump to the biblical King Herod, who tried to murder baby Jesus.

The Bible tells how, following Jesus’ birth, Mary and Joseph were told to flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s murderous intent. According to Gutierrez, had Trump been running things in Egypt, Herod would have succeeded.

“Thank God that wall wasn’t there, and thank God there wasn’t an administration like this, or he would have perished … on the Day of Innocents, when Herod ordered the murder of every child under two years of age,” Gutiérrez said. “Maybe I haven’t gone a lot to Bible school, but I know that part.”

ome version of this analogy has been used before in the immigration fight. If you don’t agree with the farthest-left immigration or refugee policy in the debate, it goes, then you would have mistreated baby Jesus and His family, and you should be ashamed of yourself. It substitutes emotion and shame for a substantive argument based on the facts.

So let’s look at those facts, shall we? The whole thing is pretty flimsy.

In a following question from a Republican member of the committee, Secretary Nielsen was asked whether or not Jesus’ family would qualify for asylum under our current laws and policies. Her answer was yes.

And she’s right. Mary and Joseph weren’t fleeing because the Egyptian job market was better than the one in Galilee or because Nazarene organized crime was such a problem. The holy family had legitimate fear of individual persecution based on the fact that the local puppet king was plotting a mass infanticide in his efforts to kill their baby.

Even if there were no difference whatsoever between U.S. immigration laws and those of first-century Egypt, and even if a wall ran from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, Mary and Joseph could simply have followed the law and applied for asylum at a legal port of entry.

Furthermore, scripture and tradition say nothing about Mary and Joseph breaking any laws or joining a caravan of other migrants bent on violating Egypt’s laws and assaulting agents of its government.

So, yes, the comparison falls apart pretty quickly, but that’s what happens when you try to use Christ’s birth as a shoddy emotional political chip.

And before we go, does anyone else find a congressman with a 100 percent Planned Parenthood score viciously moralizing about the martyrdom of the Holy Innocents a bit despicable? (For more from the author of “Watch: Dem Rep Tries to Use Baby Jesus to Savage DHS Secretary” please click HERE)

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Who Will Trump Pick as DHS Secretary If Kirstjen Nielsen Is Ousted?

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President Trump has reportedly commenced his search for a new Homeland Security chief, following news that the president is likely to relieve DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen of her duties in the coming weeks.

The president is reportedly not satisfied with Nielsen’s immigration and border work and has expressed frustrations that she is not implementing a hard line on those policy issues, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, dozens of House Democrats are demanding her resignation, arguing that she is being too tough on these issues and on illegal migrants.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan are considered to be high on the list of possible replacements for Secretary Nielsen, the Washington Examiner reports.

Pekoske served over three decades in the U.S. Coast Guard and achieved the rank of vice admiral. In August 2017, Pekoske was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the chief officer at the TSA.

McAleenan was Senate-confirmed as CBP commissioner in March with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 77-19. He was deputy commissioner of the agency from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that, McAleenan was acting assistant commissioner of CBP.

Another possible reported replacement is Thomas Homan, whom the president respects for his willingness and ability to defend and advance the Trump administration immigration policies. Homan is the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Politico reports that the president is also considering nominating Maj. Gen. Vincent Coglianese, who runs the Marine Corps Installations Command. Because that he is an active duty service member, nominating Coglianese might introduce legal and logistical challenges into the confirmation process.

The president has also discussed replacing Nielsen with Kris Kobach, who has widespread support among conservatives due to his hawkish immigration stance. Kobach lost his bid for governor of Kansas earlier this month.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s name has been floated for the DHS position, along with several other potential landing spots in the president’s inner circle.

Should Nielsen be relieved of her duties, acting Deputy Secretary Claire Grady would assume her role until a replacement is found. Grady, a longtime official in the Department of Defense, should also be considered a potential permanent replacement. (For more from the author of “Who Will Trump Pick as DHS Secretary If Kirstjen Nielsen Is Ousted?” please click HERE)

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DHS: We Can Confirm There Are Criminals, Gang Members in the Illegal Caravan

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The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed there are in fact criminals and dangerous gang members traveling inside the illegal caravan headed to north to the U.S. southern border. In addition, they are confirming President Trump’s claims “middle easterners” and citizens of countries outside of North and South America, are also in the caravan.

(Read more from “DHS: We Can Confirm There Are Criminals, Gang Members in the Illegal Caravan” HERE)

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DHS Secretary Issues a Stern Warning About the Election

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By The Blaze. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen issued a stern warning Tuesday to Russia about meddling in U.S. elections, and said that her department was in “crisis mode” over cybersecurity. . .

Nielsen was addressing an audience at a cybersecurity summit when she directly addressed the assessment by the U.S. intelligence community that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election. . .

“Two years ago, as we all know,” she continued, “a foreign power launched a brazen multi-faceted influence campaign to undermine public faith in our democratic process, and to distort our presidential election.”

“That campaign was multi-faceted – it involved cyber-espionage, leaks of stolen data, cyber-intrusions into voter registrations systems, online propaganda and more,” she added. . .

“We are in crisis mode—the Category 5 hurricane has been forecast and now we must prepare,” Nielsen said. (Read more from “DHS Secretary Issues a Stern Warning About the Election” HERE)

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Former Lobbyist Tony Podesta, Others Under Investigation by Federal Prosecutors Over Alleged Foreign Work

By NBC News. Former lobbyist Tony Podesta, Mercury Public Affairs partner and former Minnesota Republican Rep. Vin Weber and former Obama White House Counsel Greg Craig are all under federal investigation by prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, multiple sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News on Tuesaday.

Those sources say this months-long investigation in New York follows a referral from the Special Counsel’s Office.

The existence of this particular probe was first reported by CNN, which characterized the investigation as looking into whether lobbyists and operatives failed to register their work as foreign agents. None of the people identified as being investigated have been charged with any crime.

In October, NBC News was the first to report that Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta and the Podesta Group were being investigated by Mueller’s office.

Tony Podesta is the chairman of the Podesta Group and the brother of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s former presidential campaign chairman. John Podesta is not currently affiliated with the Podesta Group and is not part of the investigation. (Read more from “Former Lobbyist Tony Podesta, Others Under Investigation by Federal Prosecutors Over Alleged Foreign Work” HERE)

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GETTING NASTY: Homeland Security Official Warned With Decapitated Animal on His Porch

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According to an official who is familiar with recent threats directed against the Department of Homeland Security, the department determined that there is now a “heightened threat against DHS employees.” The official said roughly two dozen threats have been made in the last few days.

One specific example: a senior DHS official living in the Washington, D.C. area found a burnt and decapitated animal on his front porch.

On Saturday, Claire Grady, acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security, wrote to employees, “This assessment is based on specific and credible threats that have been levied against certain DHS employees and a sharp increase in the overall number of general threats against DHS employees.” Her memo recommended not displaying work badges in public, being careful with public conversations and being circumspect on social networks. It also recommended DHS employees “always keep doors and windows locked” and “be aware of unexpected changes in and around your home.” (Read more from “Getting Nasty: Homeland Security Official Warned With Decapitated Animal on His Porch” HERE)

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Watch: Socialists Harass, Attack DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen While She’s Eating Dinner

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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen received an earful from angry demonstrators as she dined Tuesday at a Mexican restaurant in D.C.

According to USA Today, members of the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter showed up to MXDC to confront her over the Trump administration’s schismatic “zero-tolerance” immigration policy.

The group shared a video of the interaction in a Facebook post.

“We’re in downtown DC disrupting DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s dinner at MXDC,” the group wrote. “The irony isn’t lost on us that this is a Mexican restaurant.”

The post claimed Nielsen “has led the program to tear apart (families)” and that Tuesday’s demonstration was “to tell her to put an end to separating families, to step down as head of the department, and that (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) must be abolished.”

Nielsen has faced mounting calls for her resignation in recent days as reports of families being separated by federal officials have outraged social, political and religious leaders across the ideological spectrum.

In what is believed to be the video of Tuesday’s confrontation, protesters can be heard taunting Nielsen and shouting questions in the direction of her table.

“How can you enjoy a Mexican dinner as you’re deporting and imprisoning tens of thousands of people who come here seeking asylum in the United States?” Jesse Rabinowitz asked. “We call on you to end family separation and abolish ICE.”

The protester later told USA Today that Nielsen did not acknowledge the demonstration and everyone involved had already left the restaurant by the time law enforcement arrived. Another video appeared to show Secret Service officers questioning protesters in the area.

A subsequent statement from the group indicated police “attempted to detain several members of MDCDSA to no avail.”

Nielsen left MXDC a short time later, according to a Twitter video posted Tuesday evening.

The secretary’s spokesperson confirmed the disruption in a series of tweets the same night.

“While having a work dinner tonight, the Secretary and her staff heard from a small group of protestors who share her concern with our current immigration laws that have created a crisis on our southern border,” Tyler Q. Houlton wrote.

A member of the left-wing political group said the protest was “nothing compared to the horrors” Nielsen has caused to families impacted by Trump administration policies enforced through the Department of Homeland Security.

“We will not stand by and let Secretary Nielsen dine in peace, while she is directing her employees to tear little girls away from their mothers and crying boys away from their fathers at our borders,” Margaret McLaughlin said. (For more from the author of “Watch: Socialists Harass, Attack DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen While She’s Eating Dinner” please click HERE)

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National Guard Going to Border, DHS Wants ‘Military Installations’ Built

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On Wednesday, Department Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced that President Donald Trump is sending the National Guard to protect the United States’ southern border and also indicated that DHS is looking into constructing military installations along the border.

Nielsen’s announcement that the National Guard is being deployed to the southern border comes after Trump said on Tuesday that he will use the military to defend the border.

“It’s time to act,” Nielsen said, adding that the deployment force sent to the border “will be strong.” Nielsen said that the logistics involved in deploying the National Guard are being worked out with governors and that “we do hope that the deployment begins immediately.”

(Read more from “National Guard Going to Border, DHS Wants ‘Military Installations’ Built” HERE)

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