Top Border Official Resigns Under Pressure After Historic Bad Year of Illegal Migration

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus resigned Saturday night under pressure from President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, vacating a crucial post just two months before a new Congress is seated.

The White House announced the departure just days after Magnus was ordered to resign or be fired. He initially resisted but bent on Saturday.

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Mayorkas Told Border Chief to Resign or Face Biden Firing

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas instructed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus to resign or face firing directly from President Joe Biden, Magnus told the Los Angeles Times.

Magnus has long faced scrutiny from Republican lawmakers, who demanded his resignation in November following complaints from colleagues about his job performance, including that he fell asleep during meetings, as previously reported by Politico. He said Friday he’s refusing to back down from his post, according to the LA Times.

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CBP Chief Tries to Reassure the Rank-and-File as Agency Levels Charges Against ‘Whipgate’ Agents

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Chris Magnus promised discontented rank-and-file officials that the agency would always support them despite pursuing charges against agents involved in the now-debunked “whipgate” incident, an internal email obtained exclusively by The Daily Caller News Foundation showed.

When CBP personnel “do the right thing,” the agency “will always stand behind you,” Magnus wrote in the email before announcing the results of the investigation into the September incident that took place in Del Rio, Texas. During the incident, Border Patrol agents used reins to steer their horses and maneuver around migrants entering the United Sates at the Rio Grande, which prompted some Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates to falsely claim the agents whipped migrants.

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CBP’s Air and Marine Operations Interdicted 62 Tons of Drugs in First Three Months of Year

Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations interdicted 62 tons (124,000 pounds) of illicit drugs in the first three months of this year, CBP reports, working with international, federal, state and local partners.

“Collaboration keeps us all safer,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said of their efforts. “CBP AMO works with U.S. and international partners to stem the flow of illicit narcotics. Through the end of March, AMO has contributed to the seizure of over 124,000 lbs of narcotics by partner agencies.”

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Southern Border Migrant Encounters Increased in February

U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations following the implementation of Title 42 USC 265 at the northern and southern land borders. U.S. Border Patrol agents transport a group of individuals encountered near Sasabe, Ariz. to the U.S. Mexico border on March 22, 2020. CBP Photo by Jerry Glaser

Border officials encountered 164,973 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in February, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announcement Tuesday.

The figure represents a 7% increase from January’s encounters, according to CBP.

CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement that February’s overall operational numbers result from “the continued economic rebound from the depths of the COVID pandemic, with CBP officers processing more than 2.8 million shipments in legitimate trade valued at more than $236 billion.”

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Border Agents Encountered More Than 2 Million Migrants in 2021

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ended 2021 with more than 2 million migrant encounters.

December 2021 numbers released Monday showed that border patrol encountered 178,840 migrants at the southern border, a 2% increase from the previous month. The number of encounters in December 2021 was greater than the total number of encounters at the border in the previous three Decembers combined.

Of the migrants encountered in December, 23% of them were previously encountered by border agents in the last year. Single adults made up 64% of the encounters, a 4% increase from November.

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Border Agents Encountered a Five Percent Increase in Migrants Last Month

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported Friday that agents encountered 173,620 migrants at the southern border in November.

The number is a 5% increase from October’s encounters. Over 50% of those encountered were processed under a Trump-era public health order for expulsion, CBP said.

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New Customs and Border Patrol Chief Sends Staff Welcome Email, Ignores Illegal Immigration

New Customs and Border Protection (CBP) chief Chris Magnus sent a welcome email to staff on Tuesday, but he completely omitted any mention of illegal immigration.

The controversial Biden appointee was confirmed by the Senate last week and sworn in on Monday.

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