Lawmakers will question President Biden’s nominee to run Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at his Senate hearing in coming weeks. Migration hawks are worried about his “terribly hazardous” history of resisting police collaboration with government border security.
Law Enforcement is Sick and Tired of These Terrible Decisions
Biden selected Chris Magnus (chief of police in Tucson, Arizona) to run the department that controls border agents and is on the frontline of protecting the USA’s borders. Magnus’ nomination hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
The violent and continuing situation at the border will be a focus of attention. Due to Tucson’s closeness to the border, Magnus was regarded as having considerable experience in resolving immigration concerns.
The Biden administration announced the DHS will halt workplace raids https://t.co/QcvxNCrCUT #USimmigration pic.twitter.com/ZppV98jOKg
— Sanwar Ali workpermit.com (@SanwarAli) October 18, 2021
As Magnus and a slew of other nominees were confirmed earlier this year, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas remarked, “I am thrilled Biden has chosen an excellent set of individuals for crucial leadership roles in the DHS.”
“They are well-known and successful individuals with extensive expertise in their industries. They will work together to help DHS achieve its goal of ensuring the safety and security of the American people. I am eager to collaborate with the Senate in order to expedite their approval.”
That background, though, has sparked criticism from migration hawks. They point to Magnus’ backing for measures that require non-compliance with internal border enforcement, as well as his resistance to the Trump government’s tighter border tactics.
Despite the fact CBP is not directly involved in interior policing, hawks are worried his confirmation would lead to more “open border” practices. Magnus’ time as police chief in Richmond, California was documented by the law branch of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
The files reveal Magnus working to enact the locality’s “sanctuary city” laws, as they applied to the Richmond Police force.
The radical left wants ICE eliminated – and Joe Biden and his DHS Secretary are effectively eliminating it for them https://t.co/stdkMSI08c
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 13, 2021
The Rules and Regulations
Most collaborations between local police departments and federal immigration officials are prohibited under “sanctuary city” rules. It implies almost all detainer applications from ICE (in which the agency asks local police departments to hold and transport an undocumented person into their care so this individual can be deported) are ignored.
Proponents believe such rules incentivize illegal immigrants to cooperate with law enforcement and report crimes, while detractors contend they allow criminal aliens to return to the neighborhoods.
Agents were not authorized to comply with ICE detainer applications. They were not permitted to question citizenship, nationality history, or even assist with most immigration-related operations. This is according to papers obtained by IRLI throughout his term.
Magnus circulated one set of the rules in a letter in 2012, saying, “This amendment brings us into accordance with Richmond’s sanctuary city law. It then further explains our mass Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) non-cooperation approach.”
