House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson Bennie Gordon ThompsonHouse panel pans ICE detention medical care, oversight Senate to hold nomination hearing for Wolf next week Hillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers MORE (D-Miss.) on Sunday called Kirstjen Nielsen Kirstjen Michele NielsenDHS IG won't investigate after watchdog said Wolf, Cuccinelli appointments violated law Appeals court sides with Trump over drawdown of immigrant protections Democrats smell blood with new DHS whistleblower complaint MORE's tenure as Homeland Security secretary a "disaster," moments after President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE announced she was leaving her post.

"Hampered by misstep after misstep, Nielsen's tenure at the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] was a disaster from the start," Thompson said in a statement. "It is clearer now than ever that the Trump Administration's border security and immigration policies - that she enacted and helped craft - have been an abysmal failure and have helped create the humanitarian crisis at the border."

"It is truly unfortunate that Nielsen refused to take responsibility for her actions and was simply unable to lead and stand up to the President for his misguided, wall obsessed anti-immigrant agenda," he continued.

ADVERTISEMENT

Trump on Sunday abruptly announced via Twitter that Nielsen was leaving her position as the top official at Homeland Security. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan is set to replace Nielsen as acting DHS secretary, Trump said.

Nielsen, who took over as head of the agency in 2017, helped lead the Trump administration's sprawling efforts with regard to immigration enforcement and disaster relief, among other things.

She gained increased scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers over her role in the administration's "zero tolerance" policy that led to thousand of separations of migrant families along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump signed an executive order in 2018 to end the practice.

But Thompson cautioned against making Nielsen a "scapegoat for the situation at the border."

"Let me be clear, President Trump is to blame for making the situation at the border worse," he said. "His terrible and cruel policies have broken families apart and have caused chaos in our immigration system. This is now self-evident."