Ex-Trump official predicts ‘entire mindset change’ at southern border, hails ‘fantastic’ pick to lead DHS

A former top official in the first Trump administration says there will be an "entire mindset change" in how the southern border is handled compared to the Biden administration, while calling President-elect Donald Trump's selection of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a "fantastic pick."

"What you can probably expect, although I don't speak for the president, is just an entire mindset change along that border," former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News Digital. 

"Holding people accountable, making sure that we restart border wall construction, and you put things in place that stop some of the abuse that we see --some of the asylum shopping, the forum shopping -- the ability to quickly return individuals and to really get serious about that to show people that, look, we're serious, the president's serious about stopping what has been the worst border crisis…that we've had over the last four years, that this country has ever seen," he said. 

"So basically, almost doing everything completely different."

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In a follow-up statement to Fox News Digital regarding the report that Noem would be Trump's pick to lead the DHS, Wolf praised the selection, noting her past moves as governor to send the National Guard to the southern border.

"Governor Noem is a fantastic pick," he said. "She has been a successful governor and has been forward-leaning and helping to support the Border security mission with her National Guard. She also has extensive experience working with FEMA on natural disasters," he said. "I’m certain she will succeed."

Trump will enter office on the back of a historic migrant crisis under the Biden administration, with numbers only decreasing since June. Trump campaigned primarily on tackling illegal immigration and has said he wants to launch a historic mass deportation campaign.

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He is likely to bring back policies from his first term, some of which Wolf implemented, including border wall construction, the Remain-in-Mexico policy and Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Northern Triangle countries.

This week, he appointed former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan to the role of "border czar" to oversee deportations and border security.

Wolf, now at the America First Policy Institute, said that there is no one single policy solution, since the border now involves many different populations. However, he did note the importance of going after the cartels.

"I think you also need to target the cartels. You need to go after the source. They're the ones that trafficked these human beings across the border. They're also the ones that are smuggling the narcotics across the border. So you can deal with the problem once it reaches our border, or you can try to address it before that. And so I think, and I've heard President Trump talk very specifically about getting serious about the cartels and I think that’s a prudent approach."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

He also said that resources will be an issue, and that Congress can help in that regard. He pointed to the House GOP border bill, HR 2, which passed the House in 2023 but has failed to gain traction in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

"I think there's a lot that can be done using presidential authority and using DHS authority, Department of Justice authority and the like," he emphasized. "I think if Congress wants to get involved, obviously a good start is H.R. 2."

He noted that there will need to be more funding for more detention beds, border officers and agreements with state and local officials -- meaning there will be a price tag.

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"But I think that's okay, because what we've seen over the last four years is an immense amount of money, billions and billions of dollars expended to facilitate more and more migrants coming into the country illegally," he said. "And I think if we could turn that money around and repurpose it to actually enforce the law, to actually remove individuals that shouldn't be here in the United States. I think that's what the American people want to see."