As migrant encounters along the southern border set records, frustration is mounting inside the Biden administration with Chris Magnus head of Customs and Border Protection. Five current administration officials who work with Magnus portrayed him as unengaged in his job, saying he often doesn’t attend White House meetings, badmouths other agencies to colleagues and superiors, and has not built relationships within CBP and across other agencies to address the influx of migrants, Politico reports. They complain he is unfamiliar with some of CBP operations and is focused primarily on reforming the culture of the Border Patrol, addressing its long list of allegations of racism and violence. Some officials believe Magnus hasn’t prioritized addressing the high number of migrants attempting to cross the border, but has tried to shift blame to other agencies. Administration officials said Magnus brought his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, pages of grievances about Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While CBP is responsible for securing U.S. borders at and between ports of entry, ICE is the agency responsible for arresting and detaining undocumented people within U.S. borders. “He’s not in the game,” said one administration official. “Every time there’s a meeting and he’s in it, we’ll get to a conclusion and Magnus will have some sidebar issue that he wants to raise and we’re all like ‘What the fuck is that about?’” Magnus, 61, a former police chief with more than 40 years of law enforcement experience, was narrowly confirmed by the Senate last December, taking over an agency of 60,000 employees.
top of page
bottom of page