Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen reportedly almost quit after President Donald Trump castigated her in front of his cabinet Wednesday.
According to The New York Times, several current and former officials familiar with the incident said Trump was furious about her “failure to adequately secure the nation’s borders.”
The Times described Nielsen as chief of staff John Kelly’s protégée. She has drafted a resignation letter but has yet to submit it.
One person familiar with the meeting told The Times that Trump’s explosion was part of a rant about the lack of progress he feels the U.S. has made erecting his border wall and stopping undocumented immigrants from entering the country.
Another person familiar with the incident said Trump was triggered by Mexico not doing more to prevent immigrant crossings. Another person, however, said that the president was focused more on homeland security because he feels Nielson is responsible for undocumented immigrants crossing into the U.S.
In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said “the president is committed to fixing our broken immigration system and our porous borders. We are a country of laws and the president and his administration will enforce them.”