Donald Trump names relative unknown Chad Wolf as new acting secretary of US Department of Homeland Security

There have been a spate of departures at the Department of Homeland Security in recent months that have depleted its leadership ranks

The vacancies left Trump with no confirmed successor to outgoing acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan, whose resignation was announced last month

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Chad Wolf speaks during a meeting of the President's Inter-agency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Published: 10:55am, 2 Nov 2019Updated: 10:06pm, 2 Nov 2019

Chad Wolf, a little-known member of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will be its new acting secretary, said President Donald Trump, whose hardline immigration policies are spearheaded by the agency.

There have been a spate of departures at the DHS in recent months that have depleted its leadership ranks. The vacancies left Trump’s administration with no confirmed successor to outgoing acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan, whose resignation was announced last month.

“I put in a very good man who’s highly respected, and he’s acting right now. We’ll see where that goes,” Trump said when asked by reporters at the White House on Friday if Wolf would be the next DHS secretary.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said McAleenan would step down after November 11 and Wolf would then assume the position.

Kevin McAleenan, outgoing acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Photo: AP

Wolf will take control of the department as Trump pushes his immigration crackdown in the run-up to the 2020 election.