B Stands for Both

Good afternoon,

On Monday, President Joe Biden announced a series of leadership nominations for the Department of Homeland Security. As the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border continues, two of these nominations will be especially critical in addressing both the immediate situation at the border and the broader need to reform our outdated immigration system.

Chris Magnus is the choice to lead Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Magnus has over 20 years of experience as a police chief and has served as chief in Tucson, Arizona since January 2016. A longtime member of the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force, Chief Magnus has advocated for adequate care of child migrants in detention and publicly supported immigrant communities in the wake of anti-immigrant attacks.

Once confirmed, Magnus would play a key role in addressing the influx of migrants and security concerns at the border. In 2018, he testified to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, sharing his perspective as a police chief near the border:

"Improving border security and achieving community safety requires effective cooperation and trust – between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies – but just as critically between immigrant communities and those public safety officers who serve them."

Ur Jaddou is the nominee to head U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). During the Obama administration, Jaddou served as Chief Counsel to USCIS. She has also worked with America’s Voice, an immigration advocacy organization. USCIS’s employee union has already expressed their support for Jaddou’s nomination.

At USCIS, Jaddou will need to address persisting budgetary challenges from the previous administration and the longstanding backlogs on visas, naturalization and asylum processing that have been exacerbated by COVID-19 processing delays. This is especially urgent now with the increase of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Forum President & CEO, Ali Noorani, praised the nominations of Magnus and Jaddou, saying:

"Chris Magnus has real-world experience as a police chief along the border who has prioritized public safety and community trust. He understands that security requires us to treat all people, including migrants, with dignity. Just as important, Ur Jaddou would bring expertise and compassion to USCIS, an agency that is the face of the United States for so many."

Both nominees have the experience needed to lead their respective agencies through the challenges ahead. We will keep you updated as their confirmation hearings approach.

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Adam

Adam Estle
Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum 

P.S. The situation at the southern border continues to evolve. Last Friday, Elizabeth Neumann and Stewart Verdery from the Council on National Security and Immigration and the Forum’s Senior Policy and Advocacy Associate Danilo Zak provided an update on what’s happening at the border and the national security implications. You can watch their full conversation linked here and dig deeper with our border explainer resource.

NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:

WASHINGTON POST:  Biden’s delay on refugees baffles and frustrates allies

USA TODAY: For DACA recipients, a Senate vote and a Texas judge stand between citizenship and deportation

THE HILL: Guatemala says it didn't sign deal with US to increase border security

THE BAPTIST STANDARD: Setting record straight on what’s happening at southern border