UA College Republicans hosted a panel with former Department of Homeland Security acting secretary Chad Wolf in Houser Hall on Dec. 5.
Wolf, who was acting secretary through the end of President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration, currently serves as the executive director at the American First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank created in 2021, and as the chair of its immigration and homeland security center.
Trump did not choose Wolf again as his DHS secretary nominee, though the reasons are unclear. Wolf has publicly denounced the Jan. 6 riot and the role that Trump had in it.
“The last 15 months [of me as] acting secretary of DHS during the Trump administration, he focused a lot on immigration, so we wanted to focus on it as well. We wanted to be sure to get the president’s agenda across the finish line, and much progress was made,” Wolf said.
When Wolf thinks about immigration, he focuses on the legal aspect — how individuals enter the country legally, either for work or business. In contrast, Trump’s agenda centers on unlawful immigration primarily as a border security issue.
“It was a difficult job, between building water walls, trying to fix and help the asylum system. It is a big job. It’s usually what gets the most attention,” Wolf said.
Beyond immigration, counterterrorism is another prominent mission of the department. Wolf described how over the last 20 years, there has been a shift in threats, from crisis and lone actors to foreign state actors and adversaries.
“Leading a department that big, you’ve got to constantly shift your resources and make sure to stay ahead of the latest threat,” Wolf said.
Cybersecurity was another focus of DHS, and the panel discussed how it is important and it’s one of the department’s more difficult responsibilities. The department has a specific job when it comes to cybersecurity — protecting federal networks, not private industries.
Harper Gray, UA College Republicans chairwoman, said the organization learned a lot from the event.
“Especially with the new Trump administration coming in, we wanted someone that has had experience in the Trump administration and could answer some questions and provide insight to the issues that our country is facing,” Gray said.
Wolf said solving those issues through public policy is one of his passions.
“I enjoyed understanding and trying to figure out hard policies — public policy decisions facing the country, and trying to find solutions. I really dove into the policy side of politics,” he said.
For the last four years, AFPI has been battling the Biden administration on border security. Wolf said the next four years are going to be interesting for the border because, for the first time, it is going to be working hand-in-hand with the Trump administration.
Before he left, Wolf encouraged attendees to “stand up to the board, defend your ideas and just be passionate for what you stand for.”
