Stephen Miller retreated from the spotlight after the immigration blitz in Minneapolis killed two Americans—but a report revealed that he hasn’t let up behind the scenes.
The top White House aide, 40, has continued to quietly oversee the enforcement of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda while cooking up new ways to make life harder for immigrants, whether they’re undocumented or refugees, multiple sources told The New York Times.
Miller backed away from the limelight after heavy-handed immigration officials killed 37-year-old Americans Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in January. But in his dual role as White House deputy chief of staff and Homeland Security adviser, Miller has continued to preside over regular calls with national security and immigration officials.
Those calls have previously been described as 10 a.m. yelling meltdowns, where Miller acts like a “wartime general” who screams at those he believes are not doing enough to push the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda.
The Times reported that Miller has been brainstorming new ways to target undocumented immigrants and those with legal protections, including making it harder for them to obtain public housing or similar benefits. He has kept a close eye on Somalian refugees, a group he has long derided.
Miller is also putting the finishing touches on a new rule that would block immigrants who might need public assistance from getting green cards, according to the outlet.
In immigration law, a “public charge” is someone who is viewed as likely to rely on government assistance to survive. During his first term, President Donald Trump expanded the definition of “public charge” to cover more people who receive public benefits, but that was reversed under the Biden administration.
Miller has also pushed Republican lawmakers to resist ICE reforms demanded by Democrats, The Times reported, on top of working with conservatives in red states to pass anti-immigrant laws. Last month, he even floated the idea of ending public education funding for undocumented children in Texas.
The top Trump aide also helped enforce the president’s directive to deploy immigration agents to airports amid the Department of Homeland Security shutdown that left TSA staffers without pay. And he remains focused on ramping up deportations to faraway countries, according to The Times.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Miller continues to enjoy the trust of Trump, whom he has served for a decade.
“Stephen is a trusted and deeply loyal adviser to President Trump and has been critical to the realization of the president’s historic first year in office,” she told The Times. “Stephen has demonstrated great effectiveness and exceptional capability in every one of the president’s policy initiatives.”
