What does a retired general and the CEO of one of the biggest oil companies in the world have in common?
They have been nominated by Trump to lead the two most important federal agencies that deal with immigration: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of State (DOS). Let’s take a closer look at each nominee:
Rex Tillerson: Trump Nominee for Secretary of the Department of State
Mr. Tillerson is the former CEO of ExxonMobil, one of the largest multi-national oil companies in the world. Perhaps most interesting/disturbing, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Tillerson the “Order of Friendship” designation in 2013, based on the deal he negotiated between Exxon and Russia to develop billions of dollars of oil reserves in the Russian Arctic. This deal never came to fruition based on U.S. sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Crimea, which is broadly considered to be part of Ukraine. Now, Mr. Tillerson will be in a position to greatly influence these sanctions, a move that could vastly benefit both Russia and Exxon.
How will Mr. Tillerson effect or change visa issuance from abroad? This, like much of the Trump world, is hard to predict. Perhaps he will be so focused on creating a more business friendly (or oil friendly?) environment between the U.S. and certain countries that he will do little to change how consulates and embassies issue visas and deal with waivers. His complete lack of experience in the public sector is also concerning, but not surprising given Trump’s same background and his selective use of his “drain the swamp” philosophy. The rationalization for his nomination is that Tillerson has maneuvered and negotiated within complicated geo-political environments for years as the Exxon CEO, but of course this experience was all within the context of trying to extract as much oil as possible from various countries, rather than building strong relationships and addressing global issues across the board. You can’t say he has no global experience, but borrowing a line from Trump, it may turn out to simply be “bad experience.” For a detailed profile of Tillerson, take a look at the New York times article: “Rex Tillerson, Trump’s Secretary of State Nominee, Is a Flexible Pragmatist.
Retired General John Kelly: Trump Nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
General Kelly was the former head of US Southern Command, the military unit responsible for military actions and influence in Mexico, Central and South America. Trump clearly picked General Kelly in order to show his commitment to security, stating that:
“He is the right person to spearhead the urgent mission of stopping illegal immigration and securing our borders, streamlining TSA and improving coordination between our intelligence and law enforcement agencies.”
General Kelly also was in charge of Guantanamo Bay, and opposed President Obama’s attempts to close it.
Despite no evidence to suggest that our Southern Border has been used as a terrorist entrant point, General Kelly has warned that Mexican cartels “spirit” tens of thousands of people to our nation’s doorsteps in smuggling rings, and that terrorist organizations may use these routes to harm the U.S. While U.S. security should always be a paramount concern for DHS, the conflation of Mexican and Central American migration and terrorism has always been disingenuous, and this argument has been used to stir up a great deal of anti-immigrant vitriol (and frankly, to get Trump elected). Mexican migration has greatly decreased over the last 20 years. Central American migration has in contrast increased, but many of these individuals are legitimate refugees, hailing from countries with some of the highest murder rates in the world (El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala). In his defense, General Kelly has at least acknowledged that the root cause of migration from Central America is the extreme violence in these failed Central American states. He also has had a close relationship with current DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, the Obama appointee. For a detailed profile of General Kelly, check out the Times’ profile: “Donald Trump Picks John Kelly, Retired General, to Lead Homeland Security.”