Departure continues at U.S. Department of Homeland Security, further thinning its leadership

Acting Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Claire Grady resigned Tuesday, continuing a string of departures at the department's senior level.

Kirstjen Nielsen, the outgoing secretary of the DHS, tweeted the resignation of Claire Grady, adding it will take effect on Wednesday, synchronizing with her own departure.

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

Grady's exit continued a major shakeup at the highest level of the DHS, after Nielsen resigned Sunday and U.S. Secret Service Director Randolph Alles was fired Monday.

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.

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

The trend has raised concerns among Republican lawmakers, who called on the White House to restore stability at the DHS' leadership.

Chuck Grassley, a Republican Senator from Iowa who previously served as Judiciary Committee Chairman, told the Washington Post Monday that he was "very, very concerned" over the ousting of senior DHS officials.

"They are the intellectual basis for what the president wants to accomplish in immigration," Grassley said, after rumors circulated Monday that Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Lee Cissna is in danger of being dismissed.

"The president has to have some stability and particularly with the number one issue that he's made for his campaign, throughout his two and a half years of presidency," Grassley said. "He's pulling the rug out from the very people that are trying to help him accomplish his goal."

Senator Ron Johnson, another Republican lawmaker who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he was "concerned with a growing leadership void within the department tasked with addressing some of the most significant problems facing the nation."

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.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)