WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has accepted the resignation of the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Safety, the federal company answerable for border safety, in accordance with the White Home.
Chris Magnus had initially refused to step down from his job after a request by the Biden administration, an official from the Division of Homeland Safety instructed NBC Information.
On Saturday night time, White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in a press release that Biden had accepted Magnus’ resignation and thanked him for his service to the company. The assertion included a duplicate of Magnus’ resignation letter, dated Saturday.
“Thanks for the chance to function your Senate confirmed Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Safety over the previous 12 months. It has been a privilege and honor to be a part of your administration,” the letter stated. “I’m submitting my resignation efficient instantly however want you and your administration the perfect going ahead.”
As the pinnacle of CBP, Magnus, 62, oversees greater than 60,000 staff whose missions give attention to counterterrorism, border safety and commerce enforcement.
The Los Angeles Times was first to report the information that Magnus was requested to resign.
Magnus has served within the position since December 2021 after being narrowly confirmed by the Senate in a 50-47 largely party-line vote. He had beforehand served as chief of police in Tucson, Ariz., from 2016 to 2020, resigning after a civilian died whereas in police custody. Magnus has additionally labored as police chief in Richmond, Calif., and in Fargo, N.D. Early on in his regulation enforcement profession, he additionally spent 15 years as a police officer in Lansing, Mich.
The conflict between the Biden administration and Magnus comes after a Politico report revealed in October stated 5 present administration officers “portrayed him as unengaged in his job, saying he typically doesn’t attend White Home conferences on the scenario on the border, badmouths different companies to colleagues and superiors, and has not constructed relationships inside CBP and throughout different companies to handle the inflow of migrants on the border.” NBC Information has not confirmed the report.
Biden and congressional Democrats have been inundated with criticism from Republicans, who sought to make the inflow of migrants coming throughout the U.S.-Mexico border a significant problem throughout the midterms.
Magnus blamed Republican governors in September for drawing extra migrants to the U.S. by promising them free bus rides north to locations like New York, Washington, D.C., and Martha’s Winery, Massachusetts. He stated in an interview that in some circumstances, the governors of Texas, Arizona and Florida have been “mendacity” to migrants about what alternatives may await them in these cities and that it’s “luring” others to return to the U.S.
In mid-September, NBC Information reported there was friction between the Biden White Home and senior DHS officers over how one can deal with immigration, as the number of undocumented migrants crossing the southern border kept rising and Republican governors despatched migrants to extra Democratic-run cities.
Claire Cardona contributed.
