REMINDER: As DHS Secretary Nielsen Exits After Shameful Tenure, CFPB Director Kraninger Also “Likely Was Deeply Involved” in Trump’s Despicable Family Separation Policy

April 8, 2019

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Outgoing Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen’s career will forever be defined by her decision to enable and carry out President Trump’s hateful “zero tolerance” policy at the southwestern border that tore thousands of migrant children away from their families and left many kids to anguish in cages while some were abused or died in custody. As Nielsen’s political obituaries are written, it is important not just to cement these tragic events into history so that that future leaders never allow it to happen again, it is also important to remember all those who were complicit in it. That includes current CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger who “likely was deeply involved” in the policy’s making when she was serving as program associate director for general government programs atthe Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This week, consumer advocacy group Allied Progress joined more than three dozen organizations in calling on Fortune 500 CEOs to reject the resumes of any former Trump administration official who helped make this nightmare a reality.

“Someday Kathy Kraninger will leave the CFPB. And whether that day is sooner or later, a dark cloud will follow her for almost certainly having a hand in the administration’s decision to rip families apart and throw kids in cages,”said Jeremy Funk, spokesman for Allied Progress. “At every opportunity, Kraninger refused to provide details about her meetings with the private prison company at the center of the immigrant detention controversy, as well as with officials from ICE and USCIS, just weeks before Trump announced his ‘zero tolerance’ policy. The administration tellingly continues to slow walk documents related to those meetings and Kraninger’s role.”

Added Funk: “Secretary Nielsen, Director Kraninger and others involved in this sad chapter in American history may decide to play the revolving-door game from Washington to Wall Street. If they do, companies should institute their own ‘zero tolerance’ policies against hate by not offering them cushy jobs. You don’t need to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to recognize the potential reputational damage of associating with the poster children of Trump’s child separation policy. It can’t be worth it.” 

Last year, Allied Progress filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the Office of Management and Budget for communications and other documents related to Kraninger’s role in Trump’s family separation immigration policy; those requests remain unanswered.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Kathy Kraninger’s Fingerprints Are All Over The Trump Administration’s “Zero-Tolerance” Family Separation Policy—She Had Budgetary Oversight Of Homeland Security And Likely Participated In Discussions On The Controversial Immigration Policy.

While Working At OMB, Kathy Kraninger Had Budgetary Oversight Of The Department Of Homeland Security (DHS) And Likely Participated In “Interagency Meetings And Discussions” About The Trump Administration’s “Zero-Tolerance” Child Separation Policy.

While At The Office Of Management And Budget, Kathy Kraninger Had “Budgetary Oversight Of Seven Executive Branch Agencies, Including The Department Of Homeland Security And The Department Of Justice.”“Kathy Kraninger, the nominee to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, likely was deeply involved in President Trump’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy, according to former officials with the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Homeland Security. […] At OMB, Kraninger has budgetary oversight of seven executive branch agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.” [Kate Berry, “CFPB nominee likely connected to Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance’ immigration policy,” American Banker, 06/19/18]

As OMB “Program Associate Director,” Kathy Kraninger Would Have “Taken Part In Interagency Meetings And Discussions” Regarding The Trump Administration’s Child Separation Policy. “Kraninger would have taken part in interagency meetings and discussions about the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the U.S. border as part of her job at OMB, where she is a program associate director for general government programs, these sources said.” [Kate Berry, “CFPB nominee likely connected to Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance’ immigration policy,” American Banker, 06/19/18]

• Seth Grossman, A Former DHS Senior Official, Said It Is “‘Likely That Someone Who Covers DHS And DOJ Would Be Working On The Design And Implementation Of A Policy Like’ The Zero-Tolerance Policy.” ““It would be likely that someone who covers DHS and DOJ would be working on the design and implementation of a policy like” the zero-tolerance policy. “That would be a typical role,” said Seth Grossman, a former deputy general counsel and counselor to former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. “At OMB, someone in that position of principal associate director would be involved in major policies, especially when they cut across departments.” [Kate Berry, “CFPB nominee likely connected to Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance’ immigration policy,” American Banker, 06/19/18]

Kathy Kraninger Admitted She “Participated In Meetings Related To Immigration And Border Security Policy” While At OMB. 

Kathy Kraninger Acknowledged That She “Participated In Meetings Related To Immigration And Border Security Policy That Included Relevant Officials Across The Administration” And That “OMB Has An Extensive Role In Supporting Agencies As They Implement The President’s Priorities And Agenda […] Including Those Regarding Immigration And Border Security.” In Response To Written Questions From Senate Banking Democrats About Her Involvement With The Trump Administration’s Child Separation Policy, Kraninger wrote, “I had no role in setting the zero tolerance policy. Since the beginning of the administration, officials within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), including the director, the deputy director, me, and my staff, participated in meetings related to immigration and border security policy that included relevant officials across the administration. OMB has an extensive role in supporting agencies as they implement the President’s priorities and agenda, which includes reviewing legislative proposals, regulatory proposals, and the availability of budgetary resources, including those regarding immigration and border security. I also testified more specifically that OMB raises questions and supports agencies in analyzing their resource needs.” [“Questions for Ms. Kathleen Laura Kraninger, Director-Designate, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, on behalf of Ranking Member Brown, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Senator Robert Menendez, and Senator Elizabeth Warren,:” U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 07/19/18]

Kraninger Contributed To The Trump Administration’s 2019 Budget, Which Supported The “Expansion Of ICE Enforcement Activities” And Requested $2.8 Billion For “Detention Beds” To Be Used For “Non-US Citizens Who Are Apprehended And Determined To Need Custodial Supervision.”

Kathy Kraninger Was Listed As A Contributor To The White House’s Fiscal Year 2019 Budget. [“Efficient, Effective, Accountable: An American Budget,”Office of Management and Budget, 02/12/18]

• The Trump Administration’s FY 2019 Budget Supported “Expansion Of ICE Enforcement Activities, With $2.8 Billion Being Requested For “Detention Beds” For “Non-Us Citizens Who Are Apprehended And Determined To Need Custodial Supervision.” “The FY 2019 President’s Budget supports expansion of ICE enforcement activities.” It allocated: “$2.8 billion for 52,000 detention beds, which is comprised of 49,500 adult beds, and 2,500 family beds. Non-U.S. citizens who are apprehended and determined to need custodial supervision are placed in detention facilities. ” [“Budget-in-Brief: Fiscal Year 2019,” Department of Homeland Security, 02/21/18]

Last Year, Kathy Kraninger Met With High-Level Immigration Officials, As Well As An Executive From GEO Group, A Private Prison Company That Makes Millions Off ICE Detentions.

In February 2018, Kraninger Also Met With Several Officials From U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) And U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

On February 27, 2018, Kathy Kraninger Appears To Have Met With James W. McCament, The Deputy Director Of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services At DHS.[US Office of Management and Budget WAVES Records Release, Office of Management and Budget, February 2018]

• McCament is the Deputy Director Of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services At DHS. [James W. McCament Profile, LinkedIn, accessed 04/08/19]

On February 27, 2018, Kathy Kraninger Appears To Have Met With Philip T. Miller, Then The Deputy Executive Associate Director Of ICE Enforcement And Removal Operations.[US Office of Management and Budget WAVES Records Release, Office of Management and Budget, February 2018]

• At the time, Miller was the Deputy Executive Associate Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. [Profile for Philip Miller, LinkedIn, accessed 04/08/19]

On February 27, 2018, Kathy Kraninger Appears To Have Met With Tracy L. Renaud, The Acting USCIS Deputy Director.[US Office of Management and Budget WAVES Records Release, Office of Management and Budget, February 2018]

• “Tracy Renaud is the acting USCIS deputy director, a position she also held from January to October 2017. She has been the permanent associate director of the Management Directorate since Nov. 2, 2014.” [Tracy Renaud, Acting Deputy Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, accessed 04/08/19]

In February 2018, Kathy Kraninger Appears To Have Met With Adam Hasner, Vice President For Public Policy At GEO Group… 

On February 21, 2018, Kathy Kraninger Appears To Have Met With Adam M. Hasner.[US Office of Management and Budget WAVES Records Release, Office of Management and Budget, February 2018]

• Adam Hasner Is The Executive Vice President For Public Policy At The GEO Group, Inc..[Adam Hasner Profile, Linkedin, accessed 04/08/19]

…A Private Prison Company That Takes “In Millions Of Dollars From ICE To Detain People Awaiting Immigration Or Asylum Hearings” And Supported An Effort In Texas To “Allow Immigration Detention Centers To Obtain Child Care Licenses.”

Private Prison Companies Like GEO Group “Take In Millions Of Dollars From ICE To Detain People Awaiting Immigration Or Asylum Hearings.” “A year and half later, with the administration’s immigration crackdown in full swing, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is forecasting that next year will bring a 23 percent increase over the already historic number of people it locked up daily in 2017. That’s good news for companies like CoreCivic and the GEO Group, which take in millions of dollars from ICE to detain people awaiting immigration or asylum hearings. [Madison Pauly, “Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Is a Boom Time for Private Prisons,” Mother Jones, May/June 2018]

• In 2017, GEO Group Called On Republicans In The Texas State Legislature To “Submit A Law” That Would “Allow Immigration Detention Centers To Obtain Child Care Licenses.” “Within the Texas legislature, a controversial bill is pending. A private prisons company called the GEO Group has allegedly asked Republicans to submit a law that could lead to immigrant children being indefinitely detained in its lucrative centers. Representatives John Raney, John Cyrier and Mark Keough—all Republicans—have authored legislation that, if passed, would allow immigration detention centers to obtain child care licenses. Equipped with the permits, the centers would then be able to circumvent a 2015 federal ruling that said detained immigrant children must be transferred to a child care facility after 20 days in detention.” [Mirren Gidda, “Private Prison Company Geo Group Gave Generously To Trump And Now Has Lucrative Contract,” Newsweek, 05/11/17]

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