Senate Confirms Mark Esper as Secretary of Defense

On July 23, 2019, the U.S. Senate confirmed Mark Esper as the new Secretary of Defense by a vote of 90-8. Esper had been serving as the Acting Secretary of Defense since June 23, 2019 [see blog]. He had previously served as Secretary of the Army since November 20, 2017. The Defense Department had been without a Senate-confirmed Secretary since former Secretary James Mattis departed on December 31, 2018.

On July 25, 2019, Secretary Esper delivered remarks at a welcoming ceremony, which you can watch courtesy of the White House's YouTube channel:

The Defense Department has a limited role in the immigration context. It advises the President on certain national security and refugee program-related matters, administers the now-suspended MAVNI program [see article], and is playing a minor role in assisting the Department of Homeland Security in securing the Southwest border.