United States Secretary of Homeland Security

Role and responsibilities

The Secretary sets departmentwide priorities, directs policy and operations across multiple agencies, and coordinates with state, local, tribal, and private-sector partners. Responsibilities commonly associated with the office include:

• Preventing and responding to terrorist threats and violent extremism.
• Securing the nation’s borders and managing lawful immigration enforcement.
• Leading disaster response and recovery efforts after floods, hurricanes, or other emergencies.
• Protecting cyberspace and critical infrastructure from attack.

Organization and components

The department combines many former agencies and offices under a single cabinet-level organization. Major components overseen by the Secretary include emergency management, transportation security, border and customs services, immigration enforcement, and maritime security. Examples of such entities are federal emergency management, transportation security, customs and border protection, and immigration enforcement units.

The Secretary must balance operational command with policy development and interagency cooperation. That involves coordinating intelligence sharing, resource allocation, training, and readiness exercises with other federal departments and local responders. The office also engages with private-sector owners of critical infrastructure to enhance resilience.

Appointment, history, and significance

The Secretary is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate and serves at the President’s pleasure. The position and department were created in the years after the September 11, 2001 attacks to consolidate functions that had been dispersed across the federal government into a unified structure focused on homeland protection. As such, the office represents one of the major post-9/11 reorganizations of the federal executive branch.

As a cabinet official, the Secretary regularly advises the President and coordinates with other national security and public-safety leaders. The office often works closely with state and local officials, and with international partners on cross-border threats. For more background on the department's mission and structure, see the official site: homeland resources and the Secretary’s executive profile: office of the Secretary.