The commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is being forced out of his job as part of a larger change in top personnel at the Department of Homeland Security, according to a government source.
Chris Magnus is resisting leaving the position, after being told by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign or get fired, according to the source. It comes after a record year of migrants seeking to enter the U-S along the Mexican border.
FILE PHOTO – Chris Magnus appears before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be the next U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., October 19, 2021. Rod Lamkey/Pool via REUTERS/File Picture
( Rod Lamkey/Pool via REUTERS/File Picture)
Magnus has only been on the job for about a year, and sources say he has clashed with Department of Homeland Security officials over border enforcement policy. Some of Magnus’ duties have been taken over by his deputies.
DHS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New DHS figures show that for the fiscal year ending in September, nearly 2.4 million migrants were detained at the border, a 37% increase from the year before.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
