A top official at the Department of Homeland Security overseeing data and statistics announced his resignation over the weekend, publicly criticizing the Trump administration's policies and approach.
Marc Rosenblum, the executive director of the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, stated in a LinkedIn post that he was "thrilled to end my relationship with the current administration." He cited "the war on immigrants, the war on feds, and the war on facts" as reasons for his departure.
Rosenblum, who had worked at DHS for over 10 years, serving under both the Trump and Biden administrations, also noted that his next role would allow him to continue working on immigration data and policy with goals that align with his values. He previously served on then-incoming President Barack Obama’s Immigration Policy Transition Team in 2009.
A DHS spokesperson told HuffPost that "People are always welcome to their opinion ― that doesn’t make it right or factual. We will not comment on personal decisions."
Rosenblum's career in public service was recognized by The Data Foundation, a nonprofit organization that spotlights federal workers who "transform data into strategic policies and deliver impactful results." Luis Miranda, a former top DHS spokesman during the Biden administration, described Rosenblum as "exactly what every American should want in a career public servant."
Miranda added that the Trump administration "has governed by silencing or ignoring facts and information they believe doesn’t line up with their extreme rhetoric," suggesting this has damaging implications and makes it difficult for career officials focused on transparency to perform their jobs.
In 2015, Rosenblum reportedly warned a Senate committee that mass deportations could negatively impact the economy, established families, and communities. He testified that "more humane enforcement is fundamentally in tension with stricter immigration control" and that "A robust enforcement system inevitably inflicts damage on established families and communities."