WASHINGTON: US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a vocal supporter of immigration reform who became a target for Republicans, said yesterday that she will leave her position to lead the University of California.
It was not clear who would replace her at the helm of the Department of Homeland Security, the third-largest US department with a broad mandate including immigration and disaster response. She plans to leave in early September.
The former Arizona governor has been an outspoken proponent of immigration reform and her announcement came as the US Congress struggled to agree on an overhaul of immigration laws. She also had a prominent role in briefing Congress and the public about terrorism, including after the Boston Marathon bombings in April.
An original member of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, Napolitano was praised for restoring the Federal Emergency Management Agency to good standing after its disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Obama thanked Napolitano for working “around the clock” to respond to natural disasters including the 2011 Joplin, Missouri, tornado and Hurricane Sandy that battered the Northeast last year, as well as other challenges.
Reuters
