OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Several months ago, Chris Magnus resigned from his position as the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and at the time, there were reports that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other officials had pressured him to step down and placed the blame for the issues at the southern border on him.
Since then, Mangus joined an organization focused on police reform and recently spoke about the ongoing immigration crisis and wasted little time slamming the Biden administration.
“Now he’s joining the Policing Project, a nonprofit at NYU’s School of Law that’s focused on reforming police departments around the country. He says questions about hiring, training, and reform exist across all levels of law enforcement. Before joining CBP, Magnus spent 40 years heading police departments, most recently in Tucson. As a senior adviser for public safety at the Policing Project, he says he wants to put what he learned both at CBP and within local departments into practice,” Front Desk reported.
“At CBP for example, that’s going to involve migrants and local community members and stakeholders dealing with issues at the border, you know, issues of use of force apply across the board. My experience is that communities first of all want agencies to be transparent about what’s going on, even when the news isn’t always good. They want data on the website. … They want body camera footage to be available. But they also want accountability in the form of assurance that if they make a complaint, it’s going to be handled,” Magnus said.
In recent days, Magnus has begun to highlight the worsening crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border under the current administration.
“Sadly–right on point,” he tweeted last week in response to an LA Times article that detailed how President Biden’s administration is proposing a new plan similar to one enacted by the Trump administration, which essentially argued that people who cross the border without permission should not be able to easily apply for asylum in the United States.
Sadly—right on point. https://t.co/98KESs01Ri
— Chris Magnus (@CMAGNUS20011) March 2, 2023
In February, Magnus shared a report from the New York Times titled, “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.,” which detailed the “record numbers” of migrants entering America under the Biden administration and how many ended up in “dangerous jobs that violate child labor laws.”
“What’s described in this article is sickening. Just sickening,” Magnus tweeted.
What’s described in this article is sickening. Just sickening.
— Chris Magnus (@CMAGNUS20011) February 25, 2023
The Times article, which essentially avoided reporting that the historic increase in migrants coming into the U.S. has been occurring under the Biden administration, nevertheless details a harrowing story for many once they are in the country.
“These workers are part of a new economy of exploitation: Migrant children, who have been coming into the United States without their parents in record numbers, are ending up in some of the most punishing jobs in the country, a New York Times investigation found. This shadow workforce extends across industries in every state, flouting child labor laws that have been in place for nearly a century. Twelve-year-old roofers in Florida and Tennessee. Underage slaughterhouse workers in Delaware, Mississippi and North Carolina. Children sawing planks of wood on overnight shifts in South Dakota,” the article said.
The article mentioned that this new epidemic started in 2021, which happens to be Biden’s first year in office. Additionally, the article briefly mentioned the fact that the U.S.-Mexico border has experienced a surge of illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country since Biden took office.
Republicans are fed up with Biden’s ‘open border’ policies and are taking action. In January after the party took over the House, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) filed articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“The articles of impeachment against Mayorkas for ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ known as House Resolution 8, were introduced by Fallon in the House on Monday and have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Last week, Fallon vowed to file impeachment articles against Mayorkas after the Congress was sworn in. The effort from Republicans in the House is one of many that the new GOP majority will take as it works to fight the Biden administration on issues related to immigration and the southern border crisis,” Fox News reported at the time.
