Amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement and border control push, a shakeup is poised to take place at the helm of the House Homeland Security Committee.

As the Daily Caller reports, moderate Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino (NY) has been preliminarily selected to chair the panel responsible for facilitating one of Trump’s primary agenda areas, replacing now-former Rep. Mark Green, who finalized his resignation from Congress this week.

Garbarino wins

On Monday night, the House Republican Steering Committee chose Garbarino to helm the Homeland Security panel, bypassing a group of contenders that included GOP lawmakers Michael Guest (MS), Clay Higgins (LA), and Carlos Gimenez (FL).

Garbarino had been serving as chair of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection subcommittee, and that experience appeared to play a role in elevating his candidacy for the new post.

Despite his reputation as a more moderate voice than Green, Garbarino has stepped forward in recent weeks to offer strong support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents amid seemingly constant criticism from the left, particularly regarding the use of face masks during operations amid ongoing threats and violent attacks from anti-government protestors.

Speaking on the House floor earlier his month, Garbarino stated, “It’s amazing listening to the other side complain about…ICE and saying that they should not be wearing masks even though they’re rounding up MS-13 criminals who, in my district, would chop up children with machetes.”

Drawing further attention to the hypocrisy, Garbarino added, “Antifa, they could wear their masks, the violent protestors that burn down cities, burn down cars, loot, they can keep their masks on. God forbid we hold criminals accountable and ask them to be demasked. But our law enforcement, let’s put them in danger.”

"Horse race" yields new leadership

Garbarino’s selection by the Steering Committee is now slated to move on to a vote in the full House GOP Conference, as The Hill explains, with approval there all but certain.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) weighed in on the battle for the role, musing that “quite a horse race” ensued among the four top contenders, and he noted his belief that all were “highly qualified” for the job.

Garbarino spoke with The Hill last week to discuss his view of the committee and the various realms he will soon be tasked with directing.

“The committee has a lot of different jurisdictions. Border has been something we’ve been focusing on for the last two and a half years,” he began.

The incoming Homeland Security chair added, “It’s important, and we still have to focus on it, especially with oversight of the money and the authorizations” secured due to the successful passage of the Trump-backed “big, beautiful bill.”

Staying the course?

Garbarino’s ascension to the committee chairmanship comes in the wake of Green’s departure from Congress, a decision he initially announced months ago, but which was only made official on Sunday, with the now-former congressman informing constituents that he had been “offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up.”

While Garbarino may be moving into his new role with a reputation as a bit more moderate than his predecessor, backers of Trump’s hardline immigration agenda are hoping that he is committed to helping the president maintain momentum when it comes to keeping his promises to the American people on this critical area of national concern.