Chris Magnus appears before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be the next U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., October 19, 2021. Rod Lamkey/Pool via REUTERS
Indicating difficulties inside U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration over a record number of migrants entering the country across the border with Mexico, a senior border official revealed on Friday that he had been given the choice to resign or be fired.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus informed the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times that he had been given the option of resigning or losing his position by Alejandro Mayorkas, the Biden Cabinet member who is in charge of CBP. According to the sources, Magnus declared that he would not resign and justified his dedication to the organization.
The White House, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and CBP did not respond to requests for comment.
The number of migrant arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border has soared to record highs under Biden, a Democrat who took office in 2021, fueling attacks by Republicans who say his policies are too lenient. Biden officials have said they aim to create a more orderly and humane immigration system, but have struggled to handle the operational and political challenges that have accompanied the high level of crossings.
Magnus, 62, was confirmed in December as commissioner of the CBP, a 60,000-person agency that oversees border security, trade and travel. Magnus worked for police departments in Michigan, North Dakota and California before becoming the police chief in Tucson, Arizona, in 2016.
