Donald Trump announced this Friday that Stephen Miller, the central ideologue of his immigration agenda, will take over as White House Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026, replacing Susie Wiles.
The leader announced it through his account on Truth Social, where he referred to Miller as "one of my most trusted advisors" and thanked Wiles —the first woman to hold that position in the history of the United States— saying that "she has done a great job." Wiles will oversee Trump's political operations.
The appointment comes just three days after the Republican Party's resounding defeat in the midterm elections, in which the Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress.
Sectors within the party had begun to point to Miller as a co-responsible for the political cost of the administration's more radical policies, but Trump chose to promote him instead of moderating his stance.
Miller, 41 years old, previously held the position of deputy chief of staff for policy and national security advisor.
He has worked alongside Trump since the 2016 presidential campaign and is considered the chief architect of the most controversial immigration measures of the first term: the ban on entry for citizens from majority-Muslim countries and the "zero tolerance" policy that led to the separation of families at the border.
In December 2025, Miller publicly defended the mass deportation of immigrants without judicial hearings, including asylum seekers. "There are 15 million illegal immigrants. If each of them had the trial you're asking for, it would take us centuries to expel them!" he stated in a widely circulated video.
Regarding Cuba, Miller has been one of the most vocal critics of the administration. In May 2026, he described the island as a "base of operations for America's adversaries" and "the last bastion of communism," in statements to Fox News.
Days later, he warned the Cuban regime directly: “Ultimately, their destiny is in their own hands”, referring to the possibility that Havana could reform or choose a different path in response to the pressure from Washington.
As Chief of Staff —the position with the highest operational power in the White House, responsible for coordinating the entire presidential agenda—, Miller will now have direct authority to intensify both deportations and pressure on Cuba and other governments that Washington considers adversaries.
According to an analysis by EFE, Miller's rise is seen as a sign that Trump is opting to radicalize his agenda in the second half of his term, rather than seeking a shift toward the center following the electoral setback.
More than 42,000 Cubans would have final orders of deportation in the United States, a figure that takes on new significance given the profile of the official who will now wield power in the White House.
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