Donald Trump to tap immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy

US President-elect Donald Trump is expected to tap immigration adviser Stephen Miller as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, a CNN reporter posted on X on Monday, which would place the architect of Trump's restrictive first-term immigration agenda in a top position.

Miller was a White House senior adviser for policy during Trump's 2017-2021 presidency and the driving force behind the Republican's wide-ranging immigration crackdown. Policies included construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border, banning people from certain Muslim-majority nations and elsewhere, and a contentious 2018 border policy that separated thousands of migrant families.

Vice President-elect JD Vance appeared to confirm the appointment in a post on X, saying "This is another fantastic pick by the president. Congrats @StephenM!"

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Trump was elected to a second term after promising to deport record numbers of immigrants in the United States illegally, an effort that is expected to draw resources from across the U.S. government but which critics say would be inhumane, costly and ineffective.

Overnight, Trump announced that former US Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Tom Homan would be appointed "border czar" once he takes office on Jan. 20.