Biden border nominee faces Senate confirmation hearing amid migrant crisis, pressure on agents

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Senate Finance Committee nomination of Chris Magnus to be Commissioner of CBP

President Biden’s pick to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Chris Magnus, will sit for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday morning, in the midst of a border crisis that has included a surge of tens of thousands of migrants crossing the southern border since September.

The current situation, coupled with Magnus’ record of being lax on illegal immigration, is causing concern among Republicans over the nomination, and will likely result in some tense grilling as he faces questions.

BIDEN TAPS TUCSON, ARIZONA, POLICE CHIEF CHRIS MAGNUS AS CBP NOMINEE

"Many of us have very serious concerns about this nominee," committee member Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., told Fox News prior to the hearing. "We’re going to be asking some tough questions today on the hill."

Those questions could deal with Magnus’ past support for sanctuary cities. While serving as chief of police for Tucson, Arizona, Magnus supported sanctuary policies that say police will not cooperate with federal authorities looking to expel illegal immigrants.

BIDEN'S CBP NOMINEE DEFENDED SANCTUARY CITIES, CRITICIZED POLICE WORKING WITH IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES

Additionally, under Magnus’ leadership, the Tucson Police Department withdrew from a federal border security grant program. According to a 2020 report from Tucson.com,  Magnus said the grant was "not a great fit for the work we were doing."

Daines said that while his state is nowhere near the southern border, it still is impacted by loose borders. He said drugs have been "flooding across the southern border" and then moving north to Montana.

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Magnus’s hearing also comes on the heels of a New York Post report that revealed the Biden administration was secretly transporting underage migrants up north. The Post report said planes from Texas landed outside New York City in Westchester County, with most of those exiting appearing to be teens and children. A source told the newspaper that children have been transported from there to areas throughout New York City and parts of Connecticut.