Top Border Official Refuses Request to Resign

"I have no plans to resign as CBP commissioner," Chris Magnus said in a statement Friday. That may conflict with the Biden administration's plans, the New York Times reports. Magnus said Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of Homeland Security, gave him a choice: Resign or be fired by President Biden. The Customs and Border Protection boss would be the first political appointee fired in Biden's presidency. Magnus said he was informed that Mayorkas had lost confidence in him and that the secretary has Biden's support. The Homeland Security Department declined to comment.

Several administration officials said Magnus, who's held his position for less than a year, often skips meetings at the White House about the border and appears unengaged in the job, per Politico. With the number of illegal crossings at the nation's southwestern border at record levels, Republicans have said they will impeach Mayorkas if they win control of the House. Magnus, 62, a former police chief, has concentrated on improving the Border Patrol's culture rather than the illegal crossings, per the Times. The Border Patrol has been accused of racism and violence in the past. Magnus, who said he still plans to go to his office on Monday, said his access to the Border Patrol's Twitter account has been cut off. (More Border Patrol stories.)