Ken Cuccinelli Appointed Acting Director of USCIS

On June 10, 2019, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, announced that Ken Cuccinelli will serve as the new acting director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), effective immediately [PDF version]. He replaces former USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna, who left the post last month.

Cuccinelli served as the Attorney General of Virginia from 2010-2014. Prior to that, he was a State Senator in Virginia from 2002 to 2010.

President Donald Trump has not formally nominated Acting Director Cuccinelli or anyone else for the position of USCIS Director. Republican Senators such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Majority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, and Senator John Cornyn of Texas have indicated that Cuccinelli would face an uphill battle for confirmation in the Senate due in part to his having previously campaigned against incumbent Republican Senators.¹ It is unclear whether President Trump intends to nominate Cuccinelli for the position he now holds in an acting capacity or whether he will ultimately nominate a different individual.

We will update the website with more information about the leadership situation the various components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as it becomes available.

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1. Everett, Burgess and Eliana Johnson. “Republicans ready to quash Cuccinelli.” Politico. Jun. 4, 2019. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/04/cuccinelli-immigration-nomination-1353314