With President Donald Trump's return to power and a clear plan to restore order at the border, the next crucial step is ensuring he has the right team to implement his vision. The Department of Homeland Security, in particular, requires a thorough leadership overhaul to execute Trump's comprehensive security agenda effectively.
The evidence for this need comes directly from those who've witnessed DHS's dysfunction firsthand. A former HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) supervisor's testimony reveals the depth of the problem: "Throughout my career, and especially the last fifteen years, the upper levels of management showed a callous disregard for the agents in the field and enforcing the laws on the books." During executive-level meetings at headquarters, this supervisor observed that "Senior Executive Service (SES) managers, the top people in the agency, would make ineffective decisions or worse…..make no decisions at all."
According to the supervisor, this leadership vacuum traces back to ICE's formation in 2003. The merger of the U.S. Customs Service and Immigration and Naturalization Service created what the supervisor describes as a "turf war between former agency managers." The result? A system of promoting friends over competent candidates. As the supervisor notes, "ICE is now reeling from those promotions and the open nepotism it fostered."
The consequences of this nepotism have created a perfect storm of ineffective leadership. "This lack of experience creates the perfect environment for micromanagement, the sign of an insecure manager. As these people promoted, their insecurity grew, so they would promote 'yes' men who would agree with whatever decision, or lack of decision, the individual would make."
This culture of acquiescence directly contributed to our current border crisis. As the supervisor points out, "Had ICE management pushed back on the decisions made by the Obama administration we wouldn't be in the situation we find the country in today." The pattern continued through the Biden administration, leaving a legacy of unchecked illegal immigration that Trump must now address.
Recommended
To implement Trump's bold border security plans, DHS needs equally bold leadership. Kristi Noem at the helm of DHS, with Trump's pick Caleb Vitello leading ICE under her direction, would bring the decisive action needed to clean house and restore the agencies' effectiveness. This new leadership team understands that enforcing laws requires unwavering commitment and deep operational experience. Their partnership would prioritize competence over political connections and ensure seamless coordination between DHS policy and ICE enforcement.
The human cost of the current system is clear in the supervisor's journey from an eager new agent to a disillusioned veteran. After 20+ years, including two tours at HSI headquarters, he "couldn't wait to retire," watching as colleagues transformed with each promotion until "By the time they reached the SES level, the only thing they cared about was what their next position was and who was going to pay them the most money when they retired."
As this veteran supervisor succinctly says, "Incompetence begets incompetence; ICE management is the face of that statement." Breaking this cycle is essential for implementing Trump's security agenda.
To revitalize DHS and ICE, Noem and Vitello must first tackle the entrenched culture of cronyism that has demoralized our frontline defenders. Special agents and officers leave in droves, tired of watching "yes men" climb the ranks while experienced field staff are passed over. The new leadership must:
1. Remove politically and power-motivated executives who've never worked a case or made a street-level arrest, replacing them with proven field leaders who've earned respect through action, not connections
2. End the practice of promoting based on who you know rather than what you know - no more fast-tracking "friends" over more qualified candidates
3. Restore merit-based advancement that rewards courage and competence over political reliability
4. Rebuild agent and officer morale by installing supervisors who back their personnel instead of watching from behind desks
5. Create a culture where raising legitimate concerns helps your career instead of ending it
The harsh reality is that feckless leadership drives away our best agents and officers. When supervisors lack field experience, they compensate with micromanagement and risk aversion. This pushes talented officers to retire early or seek private sector work, leaving gaps filled by those willing to toe the political line rather than do the job.
The stakes couldn't be higher. With Trump's clear mandate to secure the border and protect American communities, he needs a DHS leadership team ready to implement his policies. The testimony of career officials makes clear that the current bureaucratic structure cannot deliver results.
Installing strong, competent leadership at DHS isn't just about organizational reform - it's about giving Trump the team he needs to deliver on his promises to the American people. The time for decisive action is now.
In conversations with multiple former HSI supervisors, each echoed these same concerns about the agency's leadership culture. Their collective experience, spanning decades of service across multiple administrations, confirms a troubling pattern: the elevation of political reliability over operational competence. These veteran leaders unanimously support the decisive change that Noem and Vitello represent. Their message is clear - Trump's picks show promise, but they'll need support to clear out the entrenched bureaucracy that has hampered DHS for far too long.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member