Senate Confirms the Wrong Man at the Worst Possible Time for the Critical Job of Leading U.S. Customs and Border Protection thumbnail

Senate Confirms the Wrong Man at the Worst Possible Time for the Critical Job of Leading U.S. Customs and Border Protection

By Federation for American Immigration Reform

(December 7, 2021, Washington, D.C.) — Today the Senate confirmed Chris Magnus to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), one of the world’s largest law enforcement agencies. Magnus, who has a long-standing and well-documented antipathy for border and immigration enforcement, assumes the leadership of the very agency charged with keeping our borders secure amid an unprecedented border crisis precipitated by Biden administration policies. This sends a clear message to the world that our borders are wide open.

In response to Magnus’ confirmation, the following statements were issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and Mark Morgan, a senior fellow at FAIR and the former acting commissioner of CBP:

Dan Stein:

“Throughout his tenure as Chief of Police in Tucson, Arizona, Magnus was a staunch defender of sanctuary policies that undermine some of the very laws that he is about to enforce. As the Border Patrol is overwhelmed with record numbers of people crossing our border illegally – compounded by vast amounts of lethal drugs being smuggled into our country – the men and women who serve in that agency deserve a leader who will provide them with the proper support and resources they need to protect the American people.

“Chris Magnus is most assuredly not that guy. He was nominated by President Biden not to ensure that our borders are secure, but to see to it that his administration’s open-borders policies are carried out regardless of the cost or risk to the American public.”

Mark Morgan:

“Having had the privilege of leading one of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies, I am keenly aware of how vital the work of CBP is in protecting our borders and combating criminal cartels that are waging what can be described as nothing less than a war against our country. I have seen, first-hand, the dedication of the men and women who serve in CBP to doing their job.

“Sadly, rather than selecting someone who is committed to the agency’s mission, President Biden and Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have appointed a poorly qualified person who shares their commitment to undermining CBP’s core mission. Chris Magnus is so ideologically opposed to immigration and border enforcement that as Tucson’s police chief he rejected federal funding to help his department deal with criminal aliens who prey on communities in his city, over the objection of his officers. He is clearly, the wrong man at the wrong time to be leading CBP.”

EDITORS NOTE: This FAIR column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.