Customs and Border Protection (CBP) chiefs face accusations of incompetence and indifference to the operations of the border agency from critics both inside and outside the administration. ignorance. ”
Politico released a scathing article on Monday, claiming that CBP Chairman Chris Magnus was not involved, was not at the White House meeting, was not familiar with CBP operations, and was not at the meeting he attended. He outlined the concerns of several current administration officials that he had fallen asleep.
Magnus also accused other agencies of trying to shift responsibility for the crisis at the border, and spent much of his time on accusations of racism and violence directed at Border Patrol agents or listing complaints. Accused of failing to build interagency relationships while spending too much time doing On Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorcas.
‘He’s not in the game,’ said an anonymous source outlet“Every time there was a meeting and he attended, we would come to a conclusion and Magnus would have a sidebar issue he wanted to bring up.
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A former CBP employee told Fox News Digital that he was not surprised by the criticism directed at Magnus. Magnus also said Magnus was not ready for his job and that he was against Border Patrol enforcement duties.
Former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, who was fired by the Biden administration just before Magnus was confirmed, shared many of his concerns himself after briefing Magnus to confirm and was impressed by what he saw. did not receive
“I explained it to him several times, and to be honest, I was really disappointed in the administration’s choice to have someone run such an important organization.
Scott said that when he first briefed the candidate, Magnus looked at a slideshow of the organizational structure of the Border Patrol and asked how many people could move around “for no reason”. He said he upset his staff and asked him to calm them down.
After several briefings, Scott said Magnus showed he was unfamiliar with CBP’s immigration authorities under Title 8 of the U.S. Code.
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“He stopped me again. He said, ‘Hey, what was that Title 8 thing?'” Scott said.
After multiple briefings, Scott said Magnus shook his head due to his lack of knowledge on the basics of CBP enforcement.
“…even after months of briefings from lawyers, agents and executives, you’re still asking questions. [like] What is Title 8? It’s incompetent,” he said.
Scott said Magnus’ mistrust existed at multiple levels of the agency.
“It’s not just Border Patrol. I’ve been hearing from people … civilians, people in Field Operations Offices, people who are actually trying to enforce US law, or people who believe in CBP’s mission, they’re doing this. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
A former Tucson police chief, Magnus raised concerns from immigration hawks and Republicans when he was nominated for his record of supporting “sanctuary” policies and opposing Trump-era immigration law enforcement. was
Deputy former CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan has accused the Biden administration of ignoring Magnus’ lack of federal experience and promoting someone along an “awake agenda,” raising red flags about his nomination. He accused the government of neglecting it.
“Magnus spent most of his career as a small town cop, overseeing less than 800 sworn officers as chief,” he told Fox News Digital. “He had never held a single position in federal law enforcement before he was elected, nor had he commanded a federal agency encompassing a vast and complex global mission.”
Morgan said his experience didn’t set him up to oversee the nation’s largest federal law enforcement agency
“He was and never was quite the right person for the job. But that’s exactly what the Biden administration wanted. . “I’m not qualified.”
Criticism from within the government was similar, including the fact that the teleconferences of high-ranking government officials were entrusted to deputies.
“Operationally, he is not even in the conversation,” one official told Politico. It’s far beyond my understanding of how to deal with the part of
Magnus issued a lengthy statement refuting the allegations in the Politico article, stating that he “greatly cares about CBP and the people who work here.”
“In my 10 months as Commissioner of CBP, I was able to quickly understand the many complex areas of responsibility of the agency. Major DHS immigration, border security, trade, and other policy discussions have taken place throughout my tenure as Commissioner. We frequently share insights from people and will continue to do so.
He also appeared to target critics within the administration, suggesting that he was facing backlash for questioning the “status quo.”
“I have always been someone who actively questions the status quo, seeks ways to make things better, and engages directly with the public and employees.In every organization, there are people who are threatened by this. “They don’t like it when someone asks why certain things have to be done the same way they’ve always been. It’s our institution that benefits employees and the public.”
As for the allegation that he fell asleep at the meeting, the fatigue was a side effect of his multiple sclerosis, and since then he has adjusted his medication and “remained fully involved in the work of leading CBP and representing the people.” and will defend it,” he said. Work here and for the American people. ”
On Tuesday, he issued an additional statement, posting a screenshot of a quote from motivational speaker Zig Ziggler, calling it “a clutter from critics who speak with authority but interact with willfully ignorance.” I’m ignoring the nonsense that I made.”
Meanwhile, some of Magnus’ critics on the right have used the narrative to accuse the regime of allegedly “distracting” from the ongoing crisis on the southern border…only this year.
Morgan noted recent moves by the administration to extend Title 42 expulsion to Venezuelans, even after fighting to shut down Trump-era authorities in court.
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“Either the unparalleled hypocrisy from this administration, which has expanded its use of Trump-era policies as a political stunt by pretending to care about border security in the weeks before the midterm elections, or the cynicism that attacks him. Bad or bad, I don’t know. As a distraction to their self-harm on our southern border, they’re doing what they wanted,” he said.
Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Migration Studies, said: in a tweet The administration is “trying to set” [Magnus] As Akio in the Border Crisis [Mayorkas] –Don’t get distracted. ”