Comment US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus resigned late Saturday, the White House said in a brief statement, ending an awkward standoff between the nation’s top border official and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Mallorca asked Magnus to resign on Wednesday, but the CBP commissioner refused to go quietly, insisting he would not go unless asked by the White House. CBP commissioner says he rejected resignation request from homeland security secretary The White House said President Biden accepted Magnus’ resignation and appreciated his “nearly four decades of service and contributions to police reform during his tenure as police chief in three US cities.” In a statement to the Washington Post, Magnus said the decision “provides me with the best path forward in my commitment to professional, innovative and community-engaged policing.” The White House also released a copy of a letter from Magnus thanking Biden for the opportunity to serve “over the past year.” But Magnus only lasted 11 months on the job. He was confirmed by the Senate last December in a vote largely along party lines. His short tenure is a blow to the Biden administration as it struggles to balance immigration pressures on the southern border with Democratic calls for substantive changes to CBP, and especially the Border Patrol. During the Trump administration, the Border Patrol has had the president’s enthusiastic support, but has been accused by immigrant advocates of abusing its power and turning a blind eye to racism and sexism in its ranks. The labor union representing Border Patrol agents has cheered Donald Trump’s more restrictive immigration policies and sharply criticized Biden after he began rolling them back. Magnus, 62, was tapped to lead the nation’s largest law enforcement agency after building a reputation as a leading law enforcement reformer during his tenure as police chief in Fargo, N.D., Richmond, N.D. California and Tucson. He was the first openly gay CBP commissioner. But Magnus’ ambitions to revamp CBP have put him at odds with Mayorkas and senior CBP leaders who are struggling to deal with record numbers of immigration apprehensions along the border with Mexico. Magnus said he has tried to make changes to policies governing high-speed vehicle pursuits, staff overtime practices and CBP officers’ inspections of travelers’ cellphones at border crossings, among other reform ideas. Those efforts were thwarted, he said. “I didn’t take this job as a resume maker. I came to Washington, DC — I moved my family here — because I care about this agency, its mission and the goals of this administration,” Magnus said, defying efforts to oust him. Magnus said Mallorca was more attuned to the needs of career officials facing border pressures and did not support his reform ideas. According to Magnus, tensions came to a head Wednesday after Magnus traveled to El Paso to attend a meeting of Border Patrol sector chiefs. Mallorca had asked him not to go. Magnus said Mayorkas then asked for his resignation during a conference call, telling Magnus that he and CBP personnel had lost confidence in him and that Magnus had disobeyed him by traveling to El Paso. CBP Deputy Commissioner Troy Miller will serve as acting chief of the agency, Mayorkas said in an email sent to CBP staff late Saturday. Miller ran CBP as its interim leader through most of 2021. Maria Sacchetti contributed to this report.
