The National Border Patrol Council has weighed-in on the news that president-elect Donald Trump has picked former Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly to run the Department of Homeland Security, according to CBS News. Kelly, who served in the Marine Corps for almost 46 years, accepted the top spot while he is travelling in Europe.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the National Border Patrol Council thanked Trump and vice president-elect Mike Pence “for seeking our opinion about the nomination of General Kelly as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.”
“We have faith in President-Elect Trump, and although General Kelly does not have immigration experience, we recognize that he comes in with stellar credentials. We caution however, that because President-elect Trump’s meteoric rise was built on border security, we believe no other cabinet level nominee will be under more pressure to produce,” continued the statement.
The Council endorsed Trump, and according to the organization, “stood by him through thick and thin, and we continue to do so. However, our endorsement does come with expectations. We expect the new Administration to work with the NBPC to solve the historic problems within the Agency that have created an environment that consistently ranked at the bottom of all Federal Agencies in morale, job satisfaction, and trust in leadership. The challenge of meeting our expectations and solving these problems will be placed on the shoulders of General Kelly.”
The Council called on Kelly “to come in with a fresh approach – the non-establishment “outside of the box thinking” approach,” and surround himself “with the right people.”
Senator John McCain stated that he was “pleased by reports that President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate General John Kelly to be Secretary of Homeland Security. I have had the privilege of knowing General Kelly for many years, and appreciate his more than 40 years of service in uniform, during which time he gave to our country more than can ever be asked of a military officer or citizen. Our nation has benefitted from his honesty and candor, which has been refreshing as it has been valuable to the work our military men and women do each day to keep this country safe.”
McCain said that Kelly “has a unique understanding of the challenges facing our southern communities, border personnel, and national and economic security.”