Joe Biden 's new border chief nomination has been pictured holding up a Black Lives Matter banner, advocates for police reform and ...
Joe Biden's new border chief nomination has been pictured holding up a Black Lives Matter banner, advocates for police reform and has defended sanctuary cities.
The president on Monday named Tucson, Arizona Police Chief Chris Magnus to be commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.
Magnus, 60, a staunch Trump critic, is a gay, white man who grew up in Lansing, Michigan and advocates for community policing.
He was previously was chief of police in Fargo, North Dakota, and Richmond, California where he 'developed a reputation as a progressive police leader who focused on relationship-building between the police and community', officials said.
Magnus is said to have 'implemented evidence-based best practices, promoted reform, and insisted on police accountability,' the official added in a statement.
While at his California post, Magnus went viral in 2014 after being pictured in uniform holding the #BlackLivesMatter sign at a rally.
Then Richmond Chief of Police Chris Magnus stands with demonstrators along Macdonald Ave. to protest the Michael Brown and Eric Garner deaths in California on December 9, 2014
Last June, Magnus released a video where a 27-year-old Latino man died in custody. He offered his resignation, but Tucson Mayor Regina Romero expressed confidence and he kept his job.
'During his time in Tucson and throughout his career, Chief Magnus has developed a national reputation for his sensible, inclusive approach to policing that has always centered around community building,' Romero, a Democrat, said in a statement.
He had earlier called Derek Chauvin's use of force during the death of George Floyd 'indefensible'.
Biden will nominate Magnus to head the Customs and Border Protection Agency in an overhaul of the U.S. immigration system.
Magnus has been highly critical of the previous administration's hard-line immigration policies.
He publicly criticized in a New York Times op/ed in 2017 then-President Trump and his Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He said their policies hindered police efforts to crack down on crime.
Biden is set to nominate Tucson, Arizona chief of police Chris Magnus, a Trump critic, to lead Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
'The harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric and Mr. Sessions's reckless policies ignore a basic reality known by most good cops and prosecutors,' Magnus wrote.
'If people are afraid of the police, if they fear they may become separated from their families or harshly interrogated based on their immigration status, they won't report crimes or come forward as witnesses.'
He added: 'As the police chief here, I’m deeply troubled by the Trump administration’s campaign against ‘sanctuary cities,’ which refuse to turn over undocumented immigrants to federal authorities. Washington is trying to retaliate against them by withholding funding for things like crime prevention, drug treatment and mental health programs.
'Almost all local law enforcement agencies, regardless of the ‘sanctuary’ or ‘immigrant-welcoming’ policies adopted by their jurisdictions, cooperate with federal authorities to go after drug cartels, human traffickers and transnational gangs.
'Justice Department grants and other federal support funded through our taxes should not be tied to immigration policies.'
He noted that Tucson was not a sanctuary city but its leaders 'take pride in being welcoming to immigrants'.
Magnus, 60, a staunch Trump critic, is a gay, white man who grew up in Lansing, Michigan and advocates for community policing. He was previously was chief of police in Fargo, North Dakota, and Richmond, California where he 'developed a reputation as a progressive police leader who focused on relationship-building between the police and community', officials said
In 2020, Magnus also declined the so-called 'Stonegarden' grants from Trump's Homeland Security Department.
The grants were given to local police to assist federal government on border enforcement.
Magnus objected, however, because the Trump administration refused to allow the funds to be spent on aid for asylum-seeking migrants.
That led to criticism from Tucson Police Officers Association head Tony Archibald, who said at the time: 'For years, this federally funded grant has paid for officer overtime to do proactive, on-site activity in high crime areas.
'The Stonegarden deployments have resulted in hundreds of arrests that would not have occurred without this federal money.
'Additionally, the Stonegarden deployments have taken countless guns and drugs off the streets of Tucson.
'Without these federally funded overtime deployments, an already understaffed police department will have a hard time addressing these crime issues.'
CBP data shows migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border is vastly higher in 2021 compared to 2020, which saw a decrease. The numbers also show March saw the largest number in recent U.S. history in terms of illegal crossings
Magnus leads the 800-member police force in Tucson, which calls itself an 'immigrant welcoming community' and has changed police policy to minimize the ability for officers to enforce immigration laws.
He has been a counterweight to hardline voices in the Border Patrol union and the Arizona Legislature.
'He's a strong leader, he's quiet, and that's what CBP needs,' said Gil Kerlikowske, who ran the agency for three years during Barack Obama's presidency.
'It's 60,000 professionals and the last thing they need are people who are more interested in using their Twitter account or going on Fox News.'
In 2018 Magnus was pulled over last week for a red-light infraction.
A recording of the March 26 traffic encounter shows the officer found his boss sitting in the driver's seat of a dark-colored SUV still in his uniform.
Magnus says he doesn't think the officer realized who he was until after he pulled him over.
The video shows Magnus repeatedly thanking the officer for doing his duty.
Magnus tells the Arizona Daily Star that he still thinks the light was yellow.
Biden's administration has struck a deal with Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras for more troops to secure their own borders to stop the massive flow of migrants fleeing those countries to the U.S.
Parents stand holding their children in Roma, Texas after arriving in the U.S. from Central America
Biden will also nominate Ur Jaddou as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which handles immigration paperwork and processing.
Magnus and Jaddou must be approved by the Senate, which is narrowly controlled by Democrats. The chamber is divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaking vote.
The New York Times first reported the nominations.
It came on the same day Biden's administration secured an agreement with Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala to put troops at their border to help stop the heavy stream of migrants fleeing to the U.S.
'We've secured agreements for them to put more troops on their own border. Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala have all agreed to do this. That not only is going to prevent the traffickers, and the smugglers, and cartels that take advantage of the kids on their way here, but also to protect those children,' Domestic Policy Council special assistant for immigration, Tyler Moran, told MSNBC on Monday of the new deals.
Moran did not mention anything about a potential deal with El Salvador, which makes up the Northern Triangle along with Guatemala and Honduras.
The deal comes after Vice President Kamala Harris was named border czar last month.
The southern border has quickly devolved into the biggest obstacle and failure of the Biden administration.
Harris has received a slew of criticism for not yet visiting the southern border or any of the North Triangle countries or holding any events related to her new role.
Since then, the White House has backed off on her position. The White House claims Harris' goal as border czar is to address root causes of why migrants are fleeing Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador en masse.
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the Northern Triangle countries have been migrating through Central American to the U.S.-Mexico border over the last few years.
Last month, the U.S. government picked up nearly 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border in March, the largest monthly number ever recorded.
Aside from Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, U.S. agencies have asked for help from the Red Cross and NASA to address the growing problem.
CBP's responsibilities including patrolling the border while USCIS runs legal immigration services. Both positions require Senate confirmation and were run by acting leaders under former President Donald Trump, repeatedly drawing criticism from Congress.
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