Trump’s Appointment Of 22-Year-Old Thomas Fugate As Head Of Anti-Terrorism Unit At Homeland Security Alarms Security Experts

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Alessio AtriaJune 6, 2025, 2:35 pmNews >

Thomas Fugate, a 22-year-old who recently graduated from the University of San Antonio, was appointed as the head of a terrorism prevention unit with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by the Trump Administration.

In February, Fugate was hired as a “special assistant” in the immigration office at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Three months later, the White House appointed the graduate, who has no apparent national security experience, to a leadership role in the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, also known as CP3, which works to fight against terrorism, school shootings and any other type of hate-driven violence.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration chose Paul Igrassia, a 29-year-old lawyer with little national security experience, as its point man to the DHS, acting as a liaison between the White House and the department.

A ProPublica report published on June 4 mentioned that CP3’s mission changed under the second Trump administration, moving away from domestic terrorism, hate crimes and extremism, and school shootings to instead focus on immigration issues such as drug cartels and border security.

The report also stated that Fugate’s new role includes a $18 million grant program designed to help communities combat violent extremism.

He took over for Army veteran Bill Braniff, who has over 20 years of experience in national security. He resigned in March after the Trump administration reduced his staff by 20%.

“If I cannot advance the prevention mission from inside of the government for now, I will do what I can outside of government,” Braniff declared in a LinkedIn post in which he announced his resignation. “CP3 is the inheritor of the primary and founding mission of DHS – to prevent terrorism.”

The appointment of the recent college graduate left counterterrorism experts and insiders nervous, the report noted.

“Maybe he’s a wunderkind,” one counterterrorism researcher who worked with CP3 officials for years stated. “Maybe he’s Doogie Howser and has everything at 21 years old, or whatever he is, to lead the office. But that’s not likely the case. It sounds like putting the intern in charge.”

“We’re entering very dangerous territory,” another longtime counterterrorism official stated.

A source told ProPublica that replacing Braniff with Fugate was insulting.

They also said that the veteran helped with the move “toward evidence-based approaches to terrorism prevention” in a field still managing post-9/11 work, which was predisposed to stigmatizing Muslims.

“They really started to shift the conversation and shift the public thinking. It was starting to get to the root of the problem,” the source mentioned. “Now that’s all gone.”

When contacted for comment by ProPublica, a senior DHS official defended the hiring of Fugate in a statement that said that “[d]ue to his success, he has been temporarily given additional leadership responsibilities in the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships office” as “a credit to his work ethic and success on the job.”