United States Secretary of Homeland Security
In the wake of the devastating September 11th attacks, the United States embarked on a monumental task: reorganizing its entire national security apparatus. At the heart of this transformation lies the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, a Cabinet position born from necessity, tasked with safeguarding the nation against a myriad of threats. This pivotal role oversees a vast department, bringing together diverse agencies under one unified mission to protect American citizens and interests. The Secretary of Homeland Security leads a colossal department formed after 9/11, consolidating over 20 federal agencies under a single mission for national security. The role demands a unique blend of executive leadership, strategic foresight, and crisis management, influencing everything from border security to disaster response. The appointment process for the Secretary, including acting officials and succession plans, reflects the critical and often politically charged nature of securing the homeland.
AI Summary
In the wake of the devastating September 11th attacks, the United States embarked on a monumental task: reorganizing its entire national security apparatus. At the heart of this transformation lies the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, a Cabinet position born from necessity, tasked with safeguarding the nation against a myriad of threats. This pivotal role oversees a vast department, bringing together diverse agencies under one unified mission to protect American citizens and interests.
- The Secretary of Homeland Security leads a colossal department formed after 9/11, consolidating over 20 federal agencies under a single mission for national security.
- The role demands a unique blend of executive leadership, strategic foresight, and crisis management, influencing everything from border security to disaster response.
- The appointment process for the Secretary, including acting officials and succession plans, reflects the critical and often politically charged nature of securing the homeland.
A Nation Transformed: The Birth of Homeland Security
The morning of September 11, 2001, irrevocably changed the global landscape and ignited a profound shift in American governance. The attacks revealed critical vulnerabilities in the nation's security architecture, which was fragmented across numerous agencies. The immediate response was clear: the United States needed a unified front to protect its homeland.
Out of this urgent need, the Homeland Security Act was passed in 2002, leading to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003. This massive undertaking involved merging — and sometimes creating — agencies responsible for everything from border control to disaster relief. The head of this new super-department would be the Secretary of Homeland Security, a new cabinet-level position with immense responsibility.
The Department's Diverse Shield
Imagine gathering dozens of distinct, powerful agencies from across the federal government and placing them under one roof. That's precisely what happened with DHS. This consolidation brought together organizations previously housed in different cabinet departments, all now focused on homeland security.
These are just some of the key components that form the sprawling Department of Homeland Security, showcasing the immense breadth of the Secretary's purview. From protecting coastlines to managing disaster recovery, the scope is truly staggering.
United States Coast Guard Federal Protective Service U.S. Customs and Border Protection (including Border Patrol) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (including Homeland Security Investigations) United States Secret Service Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
The Secretary's Mandate
The Secretary of Homeland Security is a member of the President's Cabinet, serving as the principal advisor on all matters related to domestic security. Their primary duty is to ensure the safety and security of the American public, a task that involves intricate coordination, strategic planning, and swift crisis response.
A Look at the Leadership
Since its inception, the role of Secretary of Homeland Security has seen a succession of dedicated individuals. While the department is relatively young, its leaders have navigated some of the most complex challenges facing the nation. As of January 25, 2025, Kristi Noem is the incumbent Secretary of Homeland Security.
Before the Department: An Early Precursor
Even before the Department officially formed, the need for a unified homeland security focus was recognized. Following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, a temporary position was created: the Assistant to the President for the Office of Homeland Security. This role paved the way for the eventual creation of the full department and its cabinet head.
Acting Secretaries and Succession Scenarios
The leadership of DHS isn't always held by a Senate-confirmed Secretary. Due to various circumstances, acting secretaries have often stepped in, sometimes for short stints, sometimes for extended periods. This intricate dance of leadership ensures continuity during transitions.
Interestingly, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 sets out specific exceptions to general federal vacancy laws. It mandates a unique line of succession for the Secretary, designed to maintain leadership stability even in the event of a catastrophic emergency.
The Current Line of Succession (as of November 8, 2019)
This list outlines who would step in if the Secretary were unable to serve. However, even these succession orders can be subject to legal challenges, highlighting the dynamic and sometimes contentious nature of top-level government appointments.
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Management Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans Administrator and Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Notable Appointment Challenges
The process of selecting a Secretary of Homeland Security is rigorous and can sometimes be fraught with unexpected turns. One such instance involved Bernard Kerik, nominated by President George W. Bush in 2004. However, his nomination was swiftly withdrawn after revelations that he had employed an undocumented immigrant as a nanny.
Another prominent figure, Raymond Kelly, the long-serving New York City Police Commissioner, was widely considered a potential nominee in 2013. President Obama praised Kelly's qualifications. Yet, a growing campaign against his nomination emerged, citing concerns over controversial policing practices like "stop and frisk." The role of Secretary often places nominees under intense public scrutiny, making the confirmation process a true test.
The Secretary's Immediate Support Team
Directly supporting the Secretary is the Office of the Secretary (OS). This office is crucial for overseeing the department's day-to-day operations and ensuring the Secretary's directives are executed across all the diverse components of DHS. It's the nerve center for departmental leadership.
The Office comprises various elements and offices, each with a specific mission. Most of these heads report directly to the Secretary or Deputy Secretary, providing critical support in areas ranging from civil rights to legislative affairs. Even positions like the Chief of Staff, when filled, play a crucial role in coordinating the Secretary's work.
Article
United States Secretary of Homeland Security
The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with border control, counterterrorism and other aspects of public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The new department consisted primarily of components transferred from other Cabinet departments because of their role in homeland security, such as the Coast Guard, the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (which includes the United States Border Patrol), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (which includes Homeland Security Investigations), the United States Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The current homeland security secretary is Markwayne Mullin, who was sworn in on March 24, 2026.
List of secretaries of homeland security
United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Prior to the establishment of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there existed an assistant to the president for the Office of Homeland Security, which was created following the September 11 attacks in 2001.
<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Portrait</th><th>Name</th><th>Senate vote</th><th>Term of office</th><th>President</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Took office</td><td>Left office</td><td>Duration</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td></td><td></td><td>Tom Ridge (Born 1945)</td><td>94–0</td><td>January 24, 2003</td><td>February 1, 2005</td><td>2 years, 8 days</td><td></td><td>George W. Bush (2001–2009)</td></tr><tr><td>–</td><td></td><td></td><td>James Loy[a] (Born 1942) Acting</td><td>–</td><td>February 1, 2005</td><td>February 15, 2005</td><td>14 days</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td></td><td></td><td>Michael Chertoff (Born 1953)</td><td>98–0</td><td>February 15, 2005</td><td>January 21, 2009</td><td>3 years, 341 days</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td></td><td></td><td>Janet Napolitano (Born 1957)</td><td>Voice vote</td><td>January 21, 2009</td><td>September 6, 2013</td><td>4 years, 228 days</td><td></td><td>Barack Obama (2009–2017)</td></tr><tr><td>–</td><td></td><td></td><td>Rand Beers[b] (Born 1942) Acting</td><td>–</td><td>September 6, 2013</td><td>December 23, 2013</td><td>108 days</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td></td><td></td><td>Jeh Johnson (Born 1957)</td><td>78–16</td><td>December 23, 2013</td><td>January 20, 2017</td><td>3 years, 28 days</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td></td><td></td><td>John F. Kelly (Born 1950)</td><td>88–11</td><td>January 20, 2017</td><td>July 31, 2017</td><td>192 days</td><td></td><td>Donald Trump (2017–2021)</td></tr><tr><td>–</td><td></td><td></td><td>Elaine Duke[c] (Born 1958) Acting</td><td>–</td><td>July 31, 2017</td><td>December 6, 2017</td><td>128 days</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td></td><td></td><td>Kirstjen Nielsen (Born 1972)</td><td>62–37</td><td>December 6, 2017</td><td>April 10, 2019</td><td>1 year, 125 days</td></tr><tr><td>–</td><td></td><td></td><td>Kevin McAleenan[d] (Born 1971) Acting; unlawful tenure</td><td>–</td><td>April 10, 2019</td><td>November 13, 2019</td><td>217 days</td></tr><tr><td>–</td><td></td><td></td><td>Chad Wolf[e] (Born 1976) Acting; unlawful tenure</td><td>–</td><td>November 13, 2019</td><td>January 11, 2021</td><td>1 year, 59 days</td></tr><tr><td>–</td><td></td><td></td><td>Pete Gaynor[f] (Born 1968) Acting</td><td>–</td><td>January 11, 2021</td><td>January 20, 2021</td><td>9 days</td></tr><tr><td>–</td><td></td><td></td><td>David Pekoske[g] (Born 1955) Acting</td><td>–</td><td>January 20, 2021</td><td>February 2, 2021</td><td>13 days</td><td></td><td>Joe Biden (2021–2025)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td></td><td></td><td>Alejandro Mayorkas (Born 1959)</td><td>56–43</td><td>February 2, 2021</td><td>January 20, 2025</td><td>3 years, 353 days</td></tr><tr><td>–</td><td></td><td></td><td>Benjamine Huffman[h] Acting</td><td>–</td><td>January 20, 2025</td><td>January 25, 2025</td><td>5 days</td><td></td><td>Donald Trump (2025–present)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td></td><td></td><td>Kristi Noem (Born 1971)</td><td>59–34</td><td>January 25, 2025</td><td>March 24, 2026</td><td>1 year, 58 days</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td></td><td></td><td>Markwayne Mullin (Born 1977)</td><td>54–45</td><td>March 24, 2026</td><td>Incumbent</td><td>8 days</td></tr></tbody></table>
Table notes
Republican (7) Democratic (4) Independent (5)
Denotes acting homeland security secretary
a. ^ James Loy served as acting secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
b. ^ Rand Beers served as acting secretary in his capacity as confirmed Undersecretary of Homeland Security for National Protection and Programs and Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security; Beers was the highest ranking Senate-approved presidential appointee at the Department of Homeland Security.
c. ^ Elaine Duke served as acting secretary in her capacity as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
d. ^ Kevin McAleenan served as acting secretary in his capacity as Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. His tenure was ruled unlawful.
e. ^ Chad Wolf served as acting secretary in his capacity as Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans. His tenure was ruled unlawful.
f. ^ Peter Gaynor served as acting secretary in his capacity as Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator.
g. ^ David Pekoske served as acting secretary in his capacity as Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration
h. ^ Benjamine Huffman served as acting secretary in his capacity as Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers.
Order of succession
United States Secretary of Homeland Security
While appointment of acting officials is generally governed by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (FVRA), the Homeland Security Act of 2002 creates exceptions to FVRA, mandating that the under secretary of homeland security for management is third in the line of succession for Secretary of Homeland Security, and establishes an alternate process by which the secretary can directly establish a line of succession outside the provisions of the FVRA.
As of November 8, 2019, the order of succession is as follows. However, the legality of this update was challenged.
• Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security • Under Secretary for Management • Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection • Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans • Administrator and Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration • Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Formerly, an April 10, 2019 update to the DHS Orders of Succession, made pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, provided a different order in the case of unavailability to act during a disaster or catastrophic emergency:
• Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security • Under Secretary for Management • Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection • Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency • Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency • Under Secretary for Science and Technology • Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis • Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration • Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement • Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services • Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans • General Counsel • Deputy Under Secretary for Management • Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection • Deputy Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration • Deputy Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement • Deputy Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services • Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
As a result of Executive Order 13753 in 2016, the order of succession for the secretary of homeland security was as follows:
• Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security • Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management • Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency • Under Secretary of Homeland Security for National Protection and Programs • Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology • Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis • Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection • Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration • Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement • Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services • Assistant Secretary for Policy • General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security • Deputy Under Secretary for Management • Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection • Deputy Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration • Deputy Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement • Deputy Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services • Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security
United States Secretary of Homeland Security
The Office of the Secretary (OS) oversees the execution of the duties of the Department of Homeland Security. Certain elements also aid the secretary of homeland security and senior officials of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as private sector and government partners in their duties.
Composition
The Office of the Secretary contains several offices and other elements of the DHS. Most of the heads of these elements report directly to the secretary or deputy secretary, but the military advisor and executive secretary report to the DHS chief of staff, a position that is currently vacant since January 2025.
While DHS secretary Kristi Noem was participating in an immigration raid on April 8, 2025, she was accompanied by former Trump campaign manager and senior adviser Corey Lewandowski, who introduced himself to the federal agents as “chief of staff.” DHS later clarified that he is an adviser to DHS and a special government employee.
<table><thead><tr><th>Component</th><th>Mission</th><th>Executives</th><th>Subordinate Components</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Climate Change Action Group</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Office of the Executive Secretary (ESEC)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Family Reunification Task Force</td><td></td><td></td><td>Includes the secretaries of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and State, as well as the Attorney General. It also includes several other officials from the DHS, DOJ, HHS, and State Department.</td></tr><tr><td>Office of the General Counsel (OGC)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Joint Requirements Council (JRC)</td><td></td><td></td><td>The JRC consists of the Principals Council – the operational Components (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), I&A, Management, CIO, Policy, and S&T.</td></tr><tr><td>Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA)</td><td></td><td></td><td>Each area of responsibility is managed by a director. There's a DAS for the U.S. Senate, a DAS for the U.S. House of Representatives, and a Chief of Staff.</td></tr><tr><td>Office of the Military Advisor</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Office of Partnership and Engagement (OPE)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Privacy Office</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Office of Public Affairs (OPA)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans (OSP&P)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Office for State and Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>