Back then, Nielsen was what today we might call a compassionate conservative; she was a Republican, for sure, but of the Bob Dole ilk. She was smart, sure of herself, and unafraid to stake out strong positions. But she was also measured and seemed to grasp the nuances that complex questions often engender. Privately, many of us who know Nielsen from Georgetown cannot believe that she is the same person who we see as, if not the architect, then certainly the engineer of this tragically dark chapter of our nation's history. "How does she bring herself to do this?" questioned one mutual friend in a recent group chat among several SFS alums. The issue is that among those of us who know her, we can be fairly certain that Nielsen hates this policy and hates defending it, but she feels that in the oddball "Game of Thrones"-like environment of the Trump presidency, she was handed an opportunity to land a Cabinet level position -- one that she might not have gotten in any other administration. For Nielsen, her reasoning for staying on and pretending to defend the policy could be quite simple: This is the most important role she will ever hold in her life, and to give it up after just a few months on the job would be asinine.<doc-sep>Protesters descended on the Alexandria townhouse of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Friday morning, demanding the Trump administration reunite illegal immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border. Protestors are outside of DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s Alexandria townhouse, playing audio of the detained children. She appears to be still be home. pic.twitter.com/akIcxOcM3q — Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 22, 2018 Demonstrators were heard chanting “free the kids” and“no justice, no sleep,” according to HuffPost’s Philip Lewis. Many people in the crowd carried signs bearing Nielsen’s likeness, captioned: “CHILD SNATCHER.” https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeHouse/status/1010159888247541760 Protestors are chanting “NO JUSTICE NO SLEEP!” and “FREE THE KIDS!” Neighbors are outside, looking out of windows pic.twitter.com/XUYQxjY5Ul — Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 22, 2018 Two days ago, members of @jewishaction witnessed children as young as 6 or 7 being flown across the country in the middle of the night. Kidnapping is a crime. Secretary Nielsen must resign, right away. #FamiliesBelongTogether #moralemergency #FreeOurFuture pic.twitter.com/0FI1mNEEMk — Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) June 22, 2018 No human being is illegal. Secretary Nielsen doesn't understand that. She must resign right to. Freedom for families #moralemergency #FreeOurFuture pic.twitter.com/jkYpqi2XQI — Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) June 22, 2018 Update: Nielsen is hiding in her house and won't come out to explain her cruel and inhumane actions. Her neighbors are pretty interested, however. Secretary, it doesn't have to be this way. Resign. #FamiliesBelongTogether #moralemergency #FreeOurFuture pic.twitter.com/xC0KtzQsrx — Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) June 22, 2018 We woke up Secretary Nielsen at her home this morning with a protest. Collaborators don’t get to clock out. No justice, no sleep! pic.twitter.com/FeN0fi7gHX — Will Urquhart 🌹 (@Urquwill) June 22, 2018 Protesters shouted “Shame!” as Nielsen walked from her home to her security detail. Secret Service officers monitored the nearly hour-long demonstration, according to FOX 5 DC. The demonstration outside the Secretary’s home comes days after members of the D.C. chapter of the Democrat Socialists of America drove Nielsen out of a Mexican restaurant on Tuesday. “No borders! No walls! Sanctuary for all!” the activists shouted as she ate at MXDC. “Aren’t you a mother too?” The far-left agitators asked Nielsen. “Kirstjen Nielsen, you’re a villain! Lock her up!” Nielsen eventually vacated the restaurant amid fears the situation would escalate. She was also targeted by actor Peter Fonda, who shared a violent and sexually degrading fantasy about the Trump Cabinet leader Tuesday night. “Kristjen Nielsen is a lying gash that should be put in a cage and poked at by passersby,” Fonda tweeted. “The gash should be pilloried in Lafayette Square naked and whipped by passersby while being filmed for posterity.” On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at preventing the separation of immigrant children from their border-crossing parents. Nielsen praised the executive action and called on Congress to find a long-term solution to close the border policy loophole. “We ask them to do their jobs. The laws need to be changed,” she said.<doc-sep>Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is facing scrutiny amid controversy over the separation of children from their parents at the southern border. As Nielsen, a lawyer and longtime government official, is thrust into the spotlight, many are wondering about her own family and background. Nielsen, 46, grew up in Florida and now lives in Virginia. Nielsen’s mother, Phyllis Michele Nielsen, died in 2011. Her 76-year-old father, James McHenry Nielsen is still alive and was front and center at her swearing in as DHS secretary. Her parents, both doctors, divorced while she was in college at Georgetown University. She was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and raised in Clearwater in Pinellas County near Tampa. Nielsen has two younger siblings, a brother, Fletcher, and a sister, Ashley. She has mostly kept her personal and family life private during her years as a government official. Nielsen is not married, as her financial disclosure form does not list a husband or spouse, and she does not have any children. In an odd moment at an April 2018 White House event, a reporter asked if she was getting married. Nielsen was with her chief of staff, Chad Wolf, who is not her boyfriend, and laughed when hearing the question. It is not known if Nielsen is dating anyone. Here’s what we know about Kirstjen Nielsen’s family and background: 1. Nielsen’s Mother & Her Father Were Both Army Doctors VideoVideo related to kirstjen nielsen’s family: 5 fast facts you need to know 2018-06-18T16:01:54-04:00 Kirstjen Nielsen’s parents were both doctors in the U.S. Army, according to an article in the University of Virginia Law School’s alumni magazine. Her father worked as an ophthalmologist, running his own practice in the Tampa area after leaving the Army. It is not clear if her mother, who died in 2011 at the age of 68, continued to practice medicine, nor what her her medical discipline was. Nielsen’s father and other members of her family joined her in October 2017 as President Donald Trump introduced her as his nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security. She was previously chief of staff to General John Kelly at DHS, and Kelly had recently been moved to the White House to become Trump’s chief of staff. “She is joined today by her father, James. James — where is James? Stand up, James,” Trump said. “Great father. Her uncle and aunt from North Carolina, Trevor and Mary Ellen Burton, and several other family members and loved ones. Her mother is no longer with us, but, Kirstjen, we know she is looking down on you today and she is incredibly proud.” Her father was also at her swearing-in ceremony in December 2017: Swearing-In Ceremony for Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen NielsenThe White House 2017-12-08T20:25:17.000Z James Nielsen held the Bible alongside Trump and Vice President Mike Pence as his daughter took the oath of office. 2. She & Her Siblings Grew Up in Florida & Recently Sold Their Mother’s Home to Yankees Owner Hank Steinbrenner for $2 Million Kirstjen Nielsen and her siblings, Fletcher, 42, and Ashley, 40, were raised in Clearwater, Florida. “Nielsen was born in Colorado Springs but grew up in Tampa, Florida, where she ran cross-country, served as student body president and was a midfielder on a district championship soccer team,” the University of Virginia Law School website says about her. She and her siblings attended Berkeley Prep for high school. Kirstjen graduated in 1990, according to the Tampa Bay Times. When their mother died in 2011, the Nielsen siblings inherited her home there, but it was in foreclosure, at the time, court records show. Kirstjen Nielsen was the estate’s representative and the case was tied up in Pinellas County court for several years until a settlement was reached in 2016. In April 2016, Nielsen and her siblings sold the Clearwater property New York Yankees owner Hank Steinbrenner, the son of the late George Steinbrenner, and Hank’s ex-wife, Joan Hartley, for $2,382,000, records show. Steinbrenner and Hartley had the home demolished later that year, according to online records, and the property is currently sitting vacant. 3. Her Paternal Great-Grandparents Came to America From Denmark Nielsen’s father’s family came to the United States from Denmark. Ancestry records show that Nielsen’s great-grandparents on her father’s side, Christen and Maria Nielsen, were born in Denmark and came to the United States when they were teenagers. Nielsen’s parents and grandparents were all born in the United States. Nielsen’s heritage was called into question when she testified before a Senate committee that she is not sure of Norway is a predominately white country. Many assumed, based on her Scandinavian-sounding name, that Nielsen descended from Norwegians, but Nielsen is a Danish surname. Nielsen had been asked by Senator Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, “Norway is a predominantly white country, isn’t it?” She replied, “I actually don’t know that, sir.” LEAHY: "Norway is a predominantly white country, isn't it?" NIELSEN: "I actually don't know that, sir." (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/SMIFgFe7B3 — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 16, 2018 Leahy asked the question during a discussion about President Trump’s comments about immigration at a White House meeting. Trump was reported to have described Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries,” while referring to Norway as a place where more desirable immigrants could come from. Leahy asked Nielsen why Trump wanted more immigrants from Norway, which is 95 percent white. “I don’t believe he said that specifically,” she replied. “What he was specifically referring to is, the prime minister telling him that the people of Norway work very hard. And so, what he was referencing is, from a merit-based perspective, we’d like to have those with skills who can assimilate and contribute to the United States, moving away from country quotas and to an individual merit-based system.” 4. Her Mother’s Family Is From Italy Nielsen’s mother’s side is originally from Italy. It is not clear when here mother’s family moved to America. Her grandparents, Arthur and Rose Michele, also lived in Florida. Rose Michele was involved in the gardening community in the Tampa area, according to newspaper clippings from the Tampa Bay Times.<doc-sep>Politics & Government Protesters Gather Outside Secretary Nielsen's Alexandria Home Protesters at Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen's house played audio of crying children detained at the border and held signs reading "child snatcher." Reply ALEXANDRIA, VA—Protesters were outside Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's home in Old Town Alexandria Friday morning to criticize the Trump administration's immigration policy. The protest lasted about an hour, Fox5DC reported. Protesters had signs reading "child snatcher," played audio of children separated from their families and yelled chants calling for Nielsen's resignation. Democrats in Congress, including Alexandria's representative Don Beyer, have called for Nielsen to resign. U.S. Secret Service officers and additional law enforcement officers were on scene. Nielsen had also faced protesters on Tuesday night while having dinner at MXDC Cocina Mexicana in DC. Tensions are high over the Trump administration's zero tolerance immigration policy. Uncertainty about immigrant families remains after President Trump's executive order separating families at the border. FOX5DC has the full story on the latest protest. On Tuesday, Nielsen was eating dinner at the Mexican restaurant when demonstrators marched into the business and heckled the secretary. Among the chants the protesters shouted: "If kids don't eat in peace, you don't eat in peace;" "Shame! Shame! Shame! "; and "Not in D.C., not in the U.S." Tensions are high over the Trump administration's zero tolerance immigration policy, in which kids were separated from their parents following unlawful border crossings. Nielsen is tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump's plan to reduce immigration.<doc-sep>
A group of Democrats is pushing for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to step down, with such calls growing after two heated press appearances on Monday when she declined to apologize for the administration’s family separation practices and falsely blamed Congress for originating the policy. According to the HuffPost and NBC News, more than 10 Democrats have said that Nielsen should resign, including Sens. Kamala Harris (CA), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Mazie Hirono (HI), Jeff Merkley (OR), and Tina Smith (MN). House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA) and Reps. Barbara Lee (CA), Ted Lieu (CA), Kathleen Rice (NY), and Donald Payne (NJ) have also spoken out. Most of the lawmakers who are ramping up the pressure on Nielsen come from historically blue states and have been vocal critics of Trump’s immigration policies. Harris — who’s also been a major proponent of preserving DACA protections for young undocumented immigrants — was among the earliest to take a stand on Monday. “The government should be in the business of keeping families together, not tearing them apart. And the government should have a commitment to transparency and accountability,” she said in a statement. “Under Secretary Nielsen’s tenure, the Department of Homeland Security has a track record of neither.” It’s time for Secretary Nielsen to resign. The government should be keeping families together, not tearing them apart. Add your name to demand her resignation. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 18, 2018 Pelosi made a similar push after paying a visit to a San Diego site where children who’ve been taken from their parents are currently being held. “We have zero tolerance for your neglect and for your policy of selecting — of separating children from their parents,” Pelosi said. .@SecNielsen must resign. This is not an immigration issue, it is a humanitarian issue. Children are being used by the Trump Admin to create leverage, with a goal of passing Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. I struggle to think of anything more barbaric. #FamiliesBelongTogether — Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) June 18, 2018 This rising backlash toward Nielsen comes as outrage continues to build over the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, under which all adults that enter the US illegally are being prosecuted as criminals, forcing the separation of parents, who are arrested, and their children, who are placed into federal custody. According to the Department of Homeland Security, nearly 2,000 children were separated from their parents in the span of six weeks. Nielsen did little to quell critics at two contentious press appearances on Monday, during which she said the administration would “not apologize” for separating families and “doing our job.” “We have to do our job. We will not apologize for doing our job,” says Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on separating families at the border. “This administration has a simple message: If you cross the border illegally, we will prosecute you.” https://t.co/NdC1STntVi pic.twitter.com/Be3EMqHlWG — CNN (@CNN) June 18, 2018 As Vox’s Jen Kirby reports, Nielsen has shifted the blame for family separations to Congress, a claim touted by Trump that’s patently untrue. “Congress and the courts created this problem, and Congress alone can fix it,” Nielsen said at a White House press conference. “Until then, we will enforce every law we have on the books to defend the sovereignty and security of the United States. Those who criticize the enforcement of our laws have offered only one countermeasure: open borders.” Nielsen, who is responsible for enforcing the family separation policy, has also become its face in recent days — although the New York Times reported that she initially disagreed with Trump about its implementation. The press conference marked the latest instance when comments she’s made have sparked blowback. Over the weekend, she raised many lawmakers’ hackles after posting a series of tweets arguing that family separation was not, in fact, a Trump administration policy. We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period. — Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen (@SecNielsen) June 17, 2018 Democrats, apparently, have had enough.