WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th November, 2022) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has given Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus a choice to step down or be fired for his alleged poor performance, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.
In a statement to the newspaper, Magnus said that he refused to voluntarily resign and defended his record, including internal reforms, border security and pursuit policies, the report said.
However, the report cited Magnus as saying that he was excited about the progress he made so far and looks forward to continuing his work.
Mayorkas informed Magnus on Wednesday that he had lost confidence in him, the report said.
In addition, Mayorkas pointed out that he would recommend to President Joe Biden that Magnus be replaced by John Tien, the second in command at the Department of Homeland Security, while Magnus should resign or be fired, the report said.
On Tuesday, Magnus was present at a meeting of border patrol chiefs in El Paso, Texas, even though Mayorkas had ordered him not to go there, the report said.
Magnus was confirmed as Customs and Border Protection commissioner in December 2021 after being nominated to that position by Biden.
Well over two million migrants have entered the United States illegally via the US southern border in the fiscal year 2022, breaking last year's record set under the Biden administration's watch. Some organizations like the Federation for American Immigration Reform have claimed that the number of illegal immigrants that entered the country exceeds five million. The influx has severely strained local, state, and Federal resources, especially on the southern US border.
