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 ensuring 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, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The incumbent Secretary of Homeland Security since January 25, 2025 is Kristi Noem.

List of secretaries 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.
;Parties

;Status
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

While appointment of acting officials is generally governed by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, 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
Administration-cited potential nominees

Bernard Kerik

nominated Bernard Kerik for the position in 2004. However a week later, Kerik withdrew his nomination, explaining that he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny.

Raymond Kelly

By July 2013, Raymond Kelly had served as Commissioner of the New York City Police Department for nearly 12 straight years. Within days of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano's announcement that she was resigning, Kelly was soon cited as an obvious potential successor by New York senator Charles Schumer and others.
During a July 16, 2013, interview, President Obama referred generally to the "bunch of strong candidates" for nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security, but singled out Kelly as "one of the best there is" and "very well qualified for the job".
Later in July 2013, the online internet news website/magazine Huffington Post detailed "a growing campaign to quash the potential nomination of New York City Police commissioner Raymond Kelly as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security" amid claims of "divisive, harmful, and ineffective policing that promotes stereotypes and profiling". Days after that article, Kelly penned a statistics-heavy Wall Street Journal opinion article defending the NYPD's programs, stating "the average number of stops we conduct is less than one per officer per week" and that this and other practices have led to "7,383 lives saved—and... they are largely the lives of young men of color."
Kelly was also featured because of his NYPD retirement and unusually long tenure there in a long segment on the CBS News program Sunday Morning in December 2013, especially raising the question of the controversial "stop and frisk" policy in New York City and the long decline and drop of various types of crimes committed.

Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security

Purpose

The Office of the Secretary 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.

Component	Mission	Executives	Subordinate Components
Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties	Supports the Department's mission to secure the nation while preserving individual liberty, fairness, and equality under the law. Builds in civil rights and civil liberties practices into all of the Department’s activities.	Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia * Deputy Officer for Programs & Compliance: * Deputy Officer for EEO and Diversity:	Programs and Compliance Division Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Division Office for Accessible Systems and Technology
Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman	Serves as a liaison between the public and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Helps individuals and employers resolve issues they are having with USCIS. Holds engagements to hear from the public about their experiences with USCIS. Identifies issues in the immigration system and make recommendations to USCIS on how to address these problems.	CIS Ombudsman: * Deputy Ombudsman: Nathan Stiefel	Policy Division Public Engagement Division Casework Division Operations Division Strategy Division
Climate Change Action Group	Drives urgent action to address the climate crisis. Analyzes, on an ongoing basis, the impacts of climate change on DHS missions, assets, and personnel. Adapts DHS operations, assets, and missions to account for the climate crisis via risk- based strategies. Coordinates DHS-wide sustainability operations to mitigate additional harm. Recommends specific, concrete steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Recommends specific, concrete steps to promote resilience and adaptation to reduce the multiple risks posed by the climate crisis. Recommends organizational and resource realignments as necessary to support the Department’s activities to address the climate crisis.	Co-Chairs: Cass Sunstein & Robert P. Silvers
Office of the Executive Secretary	Provides all manner of direct support to the Secretary of Homeland Security and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, as well as related support to leadership and management across the DHS. Accurate and timely dissemination of information and written communications.	Executive Secretary:
Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman	Assists individuals with complaints about the potential violation of immigration detention standards or other misconduct by DHS personnel. Provides oversight of immigration detention facilities.	ID Ombudsman: * ID Deputy Ombudsman: N/A	Case Management Division Detention Oversight Division Policy and Standards Division External Relations Division Operations and Resource Management Division Program Integration Division
Family Reunification Task Force	Committed to the safe reunification of families that were unjustly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.	Chair: Alejandro Mayorkas * Executive Director:	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.
Office of the General Counsel	Provides complete, accurate, and timely legal advice on possible courses of action for the DHS. Ensures that homeland security policies are implemented lawfully, quickly, and efficiently. Protects the rights and liberties of any Americans who come in contact with the Department of Homeland Security. Facilitates quick responses to congressional requests for information. Represents the department in venues across the country, including in U.S. immigration courts. The OGC accomplishes these tasks with over 3,000 attorneys.	General Counsel: Jonathan Meyer * Deputy General Counsel: * CBP Chief Counsel: Frederick B. Smith * CISA Chief Counsel: * USCIS Chief Counsel: * USCG Judge Advocate General: Melissa Bert * FEMA Chief Counsel: * FLETC Chief Counsel: Trisha Besselman * ICE Principal Legal Advisor: * USSS Chief Counsel: Thomas F. Huse * TSA Chief Counsel:	Ethics & Compliance Law Division General Law Division Immigration Law Division Intelligence Law Division Legal Counsel Division Operations and Enforcement Law Division Regulatory Affairs Law Division Technology Programs Law Division
Joint Requirements Council	Validates capability gaps. Associated with operational requirements and proposed solution approaches to mitigate those gaps through the Joint Requirements Integration and Management System. Leverages opportunities for commonality to enhance operational effectiveness directly and better inform the DHS’ main investment pillars.	Executive Director:	The JRC consists of the Principals Council – the operational Components, I&A, Management, CIO, Policy, and S&T.
Office of Legislative Affairs	Serves as primary liaison to members of Congress and their staffs, the White House and Executive Branch, and to other federal agencies and governmental entities that have roles in assuring national security	Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs: * Deputy Assistant Secretary : * Deputy Assistant Secretary :	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. Headquarters Operational Component Coordination Intelligence, Cyber, and Operations Oversight and Investigations Executive Secretary and Mission Support
Office of the Military Advisor	Provides counsel and support to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary in affairs relating to policy, procedures, preparedness activities, and operations between DHS and the U.S. Department of Defense.	Military Advisor to the Secretary:
Office of Partnership and Engagement	Coordinates the Department of Homeland Security’s outreach efforts with key stakeholders nationwide. Ensures a unified approach to external engagement amongst the DHS.	Assistant Secretary for Partnership and Engagement: * Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary: * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs: * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Private Sector Office:	Office of Intergovernmental Affairs * State and Local Affairs * Tribal Government Affairs Private Sector Office Office of Academic Engagement Faith-Based Security Advisory Council Committee Management Office Homeland Security Advisory Council Office of Social Impact and Campaigns Director, Non-Governmental Organizations
Privacy Office	Protects individuals by embedding and enforcing privacy protections and transparency in all DHS activities.	Chief Privacy Officer:	Senior Policy Advisor and Executive Director, Strategy and Integration Deputy Chief FOIA Officer * Senior Director, FOIA Operations and Management ** Director of Disclosure * Senior Director, Litigation, Appeals, and Policy Director, Policy, Oversight, Compliance Deputy Chief Privacy Officer** * Senior Director, Privacy Compliance ** Director, Privacy Compliance * Senior Director, Privacy Policy and Oversight Director, Privacy Policy Director, Privacy Incidents Director, Privacy Oversight Chief of Staff** * Director, Business Operations * Director, Communications & Training
Office of Public Affairs	Coordinates the public affairs activities of all of the components and offices of the DHS. Serves as the federal government’s lead public information office during a national emergency or disaster.	Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs: * Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications: * Deputy Assistant Secretary for Media Relations: * Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications:	DHS Press Office Incident and Strategic Communications Multimedia Speechwriting Web Communications Internal Communications
Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans	Serves as a central resource to the Secretary and other department leaders for strategic planning and analysis, and facilitation of decision-making on the full breadth of issues that may arise across the dynamic homeland security enterprise	Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans: Robert Silvers * Deputy Under Secretary:	Chief of Staff Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Border and Immigration * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Immigration Statistics Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention * Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Screening and Vetting * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Law Enforcement * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Countering Transnational Organized Crime * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention Assistant Secretary for International Affairs * Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Affairs * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Western Hemisphere Assistant Secretary for Trade and Economic Security * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Trade Policy * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Economic Security Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Cyber Policy * Deputy Assistant Secretary, Infrastructure, Risk, and Resilience Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Integration and Policy Planning
Office for State and Local Law Enforcement	Provides DHS with primary coordination, liaison, and advocacy for state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus law enforcement.	Assistant Secretary for State and Local Law Enforcement: Heather Fong * Deputy Assistant Secretary: N/A