President-elect Donald Trump is preparing to name Stephen Miller, his chief immigration strategist, as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, according to two sources familiar with the plans who spoke to CNN.
Miller, who previously served as senior adviser and chief speechwriter during Trump's first term, is expected to take on an expanded role focused on implementing restrictive immigration policies in the president-elect's second administration. The longtime Trump confidant has been heavily involved in transition planning and will significantly influence future staffing decisions, sources told CNN.
In recent months, Miller has increased his public presence, frequently accompanying Trump on his private plane to campaign events and emerging as a more visible speaker at rallies.
When asked about Miller's anticipated appointment, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, "President-elect Trump will begin making decisions on who will serve in his second administration soon. Those decisions will be announced when they are made."
Miller has outlined ambitious plans for immigration enforcement, stating in a recent Fox News interview that mass deportations would commence "on Inauguration Day, as soon as he takes the oath of office." He has called for increasing deportations tenfold to exceed one million annually.
During Trump's first administration, Miller was a key architect of several controversial immigration policies, including family separation at migrant detention facilities and travel restrictions on individuals from predominantly Muslim nations.
Since Trump left office, Miller founded America First Legal, an advisory group that contributed to Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's comprehensive conservative blueprint for the next Republican administration. Though Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from Project 2025 on the campaign trail, claiming no knowledge of its origins, the initiative maintains close ties to Miller and other Trump allies.
In a 2023 interview with The New York Times, Miller detailed plans to construct military-operated detention centers in Texas border regions to house immigrants awaiting deportation. He acknowledged that, as in Trump's first term, many immigration policies would likely face legal challenges but would primarily rely on executive orders rather than new legislation.
"Any activists who doubt President Trump's resolve in the slightest are making a drastic error: Trump will unleash the vast arsenal of federal powers to implement the most spectacular migration crackdown," Miller told The Times.
