Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) announced Tuesday he would seek the top spot on the House Homeland Security Committee as current Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) prepares to leave Congress.
Gimenez, a former fire chief, Miami mayor, and third-term congressman, argued his blend of experience makes for a fitting background to lead a panel focused on the sweeping mission undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“I believe my unique career, rooted in public safety, executive leadership, and crisis management, makes me the right person to lead this Committee at a time when our nation faces unprecedented threats both at home and abroad,” Gimenez wrote in a letter to colleagues.
“As Representative for Florida’s 28th District, the southernmost district in the continental United States, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating human, economic, and security consequences of the Biden-Harris open-border agenda. Every day, the vast maritime border of my district is tested. Thankfully, under President Donald J. Trump’s renewed leadership, we are seeing long-overdue changes.”
Politico first reported the letter.
If selected, Gimenez would take over a committee left by Green, who said he would resign after the passage of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in order to pursue an opportunity in the private sector.
Gimenez represents a unique district, one previously controlled by Democrats that is also home to a wide variety of migrants, including many from Latin America.
Gimenez has been largely complimentary of Trump’s border policies but has broken with the president on some issues.
Gimenez, alongside fellow Florida Republican Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Maria Elvira Salazar, called on the Trump administration to rethink plans to end Temporary Protected Status as well as parole for those from countries including Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti — all groups with established communities in the Miami area.
“Nuance would be that instead of having wholesale deportations, it needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis, and really go back to the way it should have been to be allowed in the country in the first place,” Gimenez told The Hill in May.
Gimenez is not the only one to express interest in the position.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) told Inside Cybersecurity he also plans to seek the gavel.
And Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), who currently chairs the House Ethics Committee, told the Magnolia Tribune that he has “enjoyed building an expertise on the issues under the Committee’s jurisdiction” while serving on the committee since coming to Congress.
“With Chairman Green’s announcement that he will resign from Congress soon, I intend to consult with my family, friends, and staff to determine how I can best serve Mississippi moving forward,” Guest told the outlet.
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