Nearly three years into office, Trump’s attempts to match the lofty campaign promises he made on immigration are in disarray — the wall remains largely unbuilt, so-called sanctuary cities are still receiving federal money and birthright citizenship remains intact. And over at the sprawling Department of Homeland Security, a bitter dispute recently erupted over who should head the agency tasked with enacting Trump’s immigration policies, leading some frustrated aides to plot ways to circumvent federal law and push for the leader of their choice.

“The reason there is such disarray at the leadership level of DHS is because there is disarray and disunity within the White House on the immigration issue generally,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, who supports immigration restrictions.

The jumbled approach is not just affecting immigration policy. Throughout the Trump administration, the same themes are playing out — top officials with deep philosophical divides are sparring over what to do and temporary leaders are given little power to push through an agenda.