Secretary of the Army Mark Esper Becomes New Acting Secretary of Defense

On June 18, 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that Acting Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan — who had been slated to be nominated for the position permanently by President Donald Trump [see blog] — will step down on June 23, 2019 [PDF version]. He will be replaced as Acting Secretary of Defense by the Secretary of the Army, Mark T. Esper. Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist will remain in his position.

The Defense Department has limited rolls in the immigration context, including regarding setting rules for alien serving in the armed forces and advising the President on certain matters relating to national security and foreign relations. The Defense Department is responsible for administrating the MAVNI program, which has been effectively suspended for the past couple of years [see article]. In recent months, the Defense Department has taken an increased role in assisting the Department of Homeland Security in enforcing immigration laws on the Southwest Border and in potentially building fortifications on the border.

We will update the website with more information when President Trump announces a new nominee for the top position at the Defense Department.