President Donald Trump tapped the architect of his immigration policy, Stephen Miller, to replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff, expanding Miller’s authority after an election that exposed voter dissatisfaction with the administration’s immigration enforcement.
Miller, who has been serving as Trump’s deputy chief of staff, has pushed for broader immigration arrests, at times clashing with other senior officials over enforcement tactics and messaging.
In a Fox News midterm poll, 58% of voters said they believed Trump’s actions on immigration enforcement had “gone too far.” The poll also found that 60% of voters disapproved of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) job performance.
Miller’s promotion comes just days after Republicans suffered massive losses in the midterm election.
In May 2025, Miller set a quota for ICE agents to arrest 3,000 illegal immigrants per day and reportedly “laid into” top agency officials opposed to the move, according to Axios.
During the meeting, Miller instructed ICE officials to broaden the scope of the mass deportation effort by arresting illegal immigrants without criminal histories, rather than focusing on the “worst of the worst,” according to Reuters.
Miller and Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, have differed over that approach. Homan has advocated for prioritizing people with criminal histories and final deportation orders, The Wall Street Journal reported in February.
CNN reported in January that Miller was holding daily conference calls largely focused on immigration policy. Administration sources described Miller’s tone during the calls as “militant” in his push to increase ICE arrest numbers.
Miller was also said to be calling then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem multiple times a day to provide guidance, according to CNN.
Her successor, Markwayne Mullin, has expressed frustration about having to keep Miller informed of Department of Homeland Security operations, CNN previously reported. Mullin has at times clashed openly with Miller over immigration messaging and policy decisions, but the two have a “positive” working relationship, according to the report.
“All policy has to run through Stephen as an extension of the White House,” one source told the outlet.
Wiles resigned from her role Thursday evening, a White House official told The Daily Wire.
Following Wiles’ resignation, Trump said there needed to be “change” and that “sometimes in life you gotta make moves.”
Wiles will be moving to Trump’s political operation, he said.
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