The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the enforcement agencies under it are under fire over two agent-involved shootings in the last 30 days. As the DHS faces scrutiny, one top official seems to be at the receiving end of many officials’ stick.
Independent of the scrutiny that the DHS faces over immigration enforcement operations, frustrations are reportedly growing in the department against its deputy secretary, Troy Edgar. Edgar, who returned to the department this April under DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, have got on the crosshairs of several DHS officials, prompting the some to mull over his potential removal, Politico reported.
The report cited multiple anonymous sources in the DHS who testified about the issues many officials have with Troy Edgar. And it squarely centers on his style of management, the officials cited in the report said.
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Why DHS Officials Are Unhappy With Troy Edgar
The multiple sources cited by Politico in the report expressed severe frustration with Troy Edgar. One official even went to the extent of saying that Edgar “wasn’t the right pick to begin with.”
While others were not so blunt, they seem to agree that Edgar’s management style is creating problems in the department. According to the sources cited in the Politico report, Troy Edgar has a tendency to micromanage everything “compulsively” which does not align with Secretary Mullins’ vision of moving away from such a style and letting agency heads handle their own affairs.
Among the actions that the department officials complained about was his allegedly limited understanding of how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) worked. One official cited in the report claimed that Edgar allegedly viewed deportation as a “logistical exercise like moving packages around the country.” Similar complaints about Edgar interfering with ICE’s work emerged during his first stint under Kristi Noem, as well.
Edgar has also allegedly interfered with the work of the Transportation Security Administration, the sources cited in the report claimed. It included ordering the deployment of staff himself instead of relying on the agency, as is customary for department heads and their deputies. They alleged that many other operational affairs of the DHS were also micromanaged by the Edgar, much to the displeasure of those who had originally been placed in charge of them.
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Sec. Mullins, White House Stands In Support Of Troy Edgar
Despite the serious nature of the allegations and the frustration expressed by the DHS officials cited in the report, the Trump administration seems steadfast in its support for the DHS deputy secretary. First to express his support in the aftermath of the report was DHS Secretary Mullins.
“Troy Edgar is a key part of my DHS team,” he told Politico in the statement. “I have the utmost trust and respect in Troy. These unfounded stories and attempts to divide and distract our mission will fail.”
Similarly, the White House also dismissed claims of frustrations in the DHS over Edgar. “President Trump has total confidence in his DHS team, including Deputy Secretary Edgar,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.
