U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus was asked to resign or face firing Friday by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Magnus said he would not step down, according to a statement to the Los Angeles Times, who first reported the story.
“I am excited about the progress I made and look forward continuing that work,” Magnus said in the statement.
Homeland Security officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Magnus, the former Tucson police chief, was confirmed as commissioner of the nation’s largest law enforcement agency in December. Magnus was the first Arizonan to head the agency of more than 60,000 employees.
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In the months since his confirmation, Magnus has faced internal frustration and external criticism surrounding his handling of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Magnus rankled some rank-and-file agents — and delighted agency critics — with his announcement in May that he was revisiting guidelines for agents to pursue vehicles after spate of fatal collisions.
Internally, administration officials who work with Magnus have criticized him for being unengaged at his job and said he hasn’t done enough to address the influx of migrant encounters along the southern border.
Magnus was subject of an unflattering profile in Politico that cited unnamed administration officials saying he missed White House meetings, failed to build relationships within and outside his agency and was unengaged, even falling asleep in meetings. Magnus insisted he was deeply involved in immigration-related discussions.
BREAKING RECORDS:Number of migrants at U.S.-Mexico border again predicted to smash previous records
Total encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border surpassed 2 million for the first time in one year in fiscal year 2022, according to CBP data.
Magnus often has said that he is focused on reforming the culture of the Border Patrol as the agency faces ongoing allegations of mistreating migrants.
The shakeup comes as Republicans are likely to take control of the House in January and were expected to launch investigations into the border. The Republicans insist that Biden’s policies have not worked.
While Trump-era asylum restrictions encourage repeat attempts, flows have been extraordinarily high by any measure. The numbers reflect deteriorating economic and political conditions in more countries, relative strength of the U.S. economy and uneven enforcement of asylum restrictions.
Contributing: Associated Press
Contact the reporter at jcastaneda1@arizonarepublic.com or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda
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