Departure continues at U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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The leaving U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Tuesday that Claire Grady, the acting deputy secretary of the department, had offered her resignation to President Donald Trump, potentially further destabilizing the agency tasked with managing immigration and the country's borders.

Nielsen praised Grady as an "invaluable asset" and "a steady force" at the DHS in her tweet.

The departure of Grady, who was legally supposed to take over from Nielsen after Nielsen's own ouster earlier this week, was expected after Trump picked U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to become the acting head of the Homeland Security Department.

Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's twitter screenshot. /CGTN Photo

Nielsen's resignation at the department is effective on Wednesday.

After Nielsen is replaced by Kevin McAleenan, the current commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the top two positions at the DHS and chiefs of important branches such as the CBP, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will all be vacant or filled by acting officials.

U.S. media widely attributed the shakeup to a push back from department officials in response to a White House drive to toughen border security.

(With inputs from Xinhua, Reuters)