WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said
on Tuesday that New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly
would be “very well-qualified” to lead the Department of
Homeland Security, but added that there would be numerous strong
candidates for the job.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has announced
she is stepping down to lead the University of California.
“Mr. Kelly might be very happy where he is, but if he’s not,
I’d want to know about it,” the president said in an interview
with Univision’s New York affiliate. “Because, you know,
obviously he’d be very well-qualified for the job.”
Napolitano has been an outspoken advocate of immigration
reform, a legislative priority in Obama’s second term. Despite
early momentum, the legislation appears stalled in the House of
Representatives and the president said on Tuesday he does not
expect Congress to finish work on it before its August recess.
Kelly’s name has surfaced as a possible replacement for
Napolitano in part because his strong law-and-order reputation
could help neutralize criticism by conservatives who oppose
immigration reform over border security concerns.
The department’s broad mandate includes border security and
disaster response. The administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, Craig Fugate, praised for turning the agency
around after a much-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina in
2005, is also considered a possible candidate.
“It’s one of the toughest jobs in Washington,” the president
said. “But, you know, we’re going to have a bunch of strong
candidates.”
(Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Paul Simao)
