On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, two former secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are calling for a fundamental restructuring of the agency, proposing the creation of a dedicated public safety agency to refocus the department on its original mission.
In a joint interview with NBC News on Thursday, Michael Chertoff and Jeh Johnson, who led DHS under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama respectively, said the department has “gotten off track” and needs a significant overhaul to address evolving threats.
Johnson, who served from 2013 to 2017, said the agency requires “a reset.” He noted that when he took office, DHS was viewed primarily as a security agency. “Now I fear in many communities DHS has become a pariah, radioactive, the department of mass deportations, heartless, locking up kids,” he said, adding that this shift in perception is a key reason for his call for change.
The comments come as data from the Deportation Data Project shows that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a DHS component, arrested 49,571 people in July—the highest monthly total during President Trump’s second term. This enforcement focus has drawn criticism from both former secretaries.
Chertoff, who led DHS from 2005 to 2009, argued that the department’s priorities have been skewed. “We’re spending most of our time worrying about gardeners and home health aides and getting them thrown out of the country, as opposed to focusing on people that actually are doing a lot of damage,” he said.
To address these issues, Chertoff and Johnson proposed spinning off agencies that do not directly contribute to public safety, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and consolidating core functions into a new public safety ministry, similar to models in Europe. Chertoff said this approach “would help the Cabinet secretary deconflict, unify and achieve a common effort of priorities in terms of where to protect the country and how to reduce the most serious threats.”
The former secretaries’ remarks come as the nation marks the loss of 2,977 lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Their proposal reflects a broader debate about the future of homeland security, particularly as threats have evolved from external attacks to domestic terrorism.
When asked if the current DHS could handle another attack of the magnitude of 9/11, Johnson said he believed it could, citing improved tracking of who enters the country. However, he added, “The problem, however, is the terrorist threat morphed, and the DHS that Secretary Chertoff and I led years ago is not equipped to deal with that form of domestic terrorism.”
The proposal has sparked interest among policymakers, especially as the upcoming midterm elections approach. The discussion also touches on broader issues of national security and political priorities that are likely to be key themes in the campaign season.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill. The proposal is likely to face significant political hurdles, but it underscores growing concerns about the agency’s direction and its ability to meet contemporary security challenges.
