Janet Napolitano Talks National Security and Immigration
By Steve BynumJanet Napolitano Talks National Security and Immigration
By Steve BynumFormer governor of Arizona and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s new book, How Safe Are We?: Homeland Security Since 9/11 unpacks her time at the department and the challenges the department faced in keeping the United States free of successful terrorist attacks since the September 11 attacks. Since President Donald Trump took office, Napolitano has been critical of several of his decisions on national security and immigration issues, defending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that the Obama administration enacted in 2012 from Republican attacks, and calling Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to allocate funding for a wall on the U.S.’ southern border “a symbol … not a strategy.” During Napolitano’s tenure, the Department of Homeland Security increased deportations to record levels in 2010 and 2011 and implemented a policy intended to focus deportations on immigrants with criminal records. She chats with Jerome about her time in government, her new book and her thoughts on current issues in immigration, national security, cybersecurity and more.