Chertoff : New Nominee for DHS Secretary
Posted Jan 21, 2005
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On January 11, 2005, President George W. Bush announced the nomination of Michael Chertoff for the position of Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS includes the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Thus, the position is very important with respect to immigration issues. This nomination follows the failed nomination of Bernard Kerick, discussed in our December 17, 2004 MurthyBulletin article, DHS Nominee Withdraws Over Immigration Issue, available on MurthyDotCom. The recent nominee is presently a judge with the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals (Third Circuit). He has also been an Assistant U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, and a federal prosecutor.
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It is unlikely that this nomination will fail for reasons similar to those that plagued Mr. Kerick and nominees for other positions in recent years. Judge Chertoff has been approved by the U.S. Senate three times for positions that required confirmation. Senate confirmation also is necessary following nomination for the cabinet-level position of DHS Secretary. Michael Chertoff has been heavily involved with government policy on terrorism. He led the prosecution of Zacarias Moussaoui on charges connected to the attacks of 9/11, as well. Civil libertarians are concerned that the Secretary of the DHS will have a prosecutorial attitude rather than one of service and addressing issues that would improve the legal immigration process.