Trump expected to pick former Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli for top immigration job

President Trump is expected to select former Virginia Attorney General and immigration hardliner Ken Cuccinelli to spearhead his administration’s immigration policies, according to a new report in the New York Times.

While the Times reports that the details of the job are still being worked out, Cuccinelli is expected to be based at the Department of Homeland Security and not the White House.

Cuccinelli served as Virginia Attorney General from 2010 to 2014 and mounted a failed run for governor in 2013.

During his time in office Cuccinelli worked to restrict abortion access, dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and prevent Virginia’s public universities from adopting policies that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. He has also been a vocal anti-immigration conservative who once compared immigration policy to rat extermination.

Cuccinelli will work alongside Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner on immigration policy, as well as Kevin McAleenan, the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

The news of Cuccinelli’s appointment comes less than a day after the public learned that another migrant child died while in U.S. custody, the fifth one since December.

Photo © Gage Skidmore