The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director in more than five years, since Sarah Saldaña served under the Obama administration. That doesn’t stand to change any time soon after Ed Gonzalez, the Biden administration’s nominee to head the agency, withdrew his nomination Monday.
In a Twitter thread, Gonzalez cited the year-long delay and “paralyzing political gridlock.” While the Harris County, Texas, sheriff had initially been nominated in April 2021 and received a committee hearing in June, his nomination stalled. The president then resubmitted his nomination at the beginning of the new year, after it had expired.
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“On Sunday, I informed President Biden's administration that I am respectfully withdrawing from consideration for the post of Director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Gonzalez wrote. “More than a year has passed since the President nominated me for this important position, which has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration.
“I arrived at this decision after prayerfully considering what's best for our nation, my family, and the people of Harris County who elected me to serve a second term as Sheriff.
“I am grateful to President Biden for the honor of nominating me, and I wish this administration well as it strives to overcome the paralyzing political gridlock that threatens far more than our nation's border,” Gonzalez continued. “Frankly, the dysfunction threatens America's heart and soul.”
“Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee nixed a vote on Gonzalez's nomination” after anti-immigrant Republican lawmaker James Lankford “expressed concern” over an unfounded allegation against Gonzalez, CBS News reported.
The allegation centered around a domestic violence claim made by a Houston Community College (HCC) officer who said he’d gone to a call at Gonzalez’s home. But Melissa Gonzalez, a former HCC vice president, said she’d never made such a call. A Senate Homeland Security Committee also found no evidence to back up the claim made in the HCC officer’s affidavit, instead finding discrepancies in the officer’s story. “HCC also told the committee that bodycam footage that the former officer cited in the original affidavit did not exist.”
Biden has confirmed picks with 51 votes in the past. It’s unclear if this means that Senate Democrats were unable to regain enough support within the caucus to give the thumbs up to the nomination. The nomination’s failure means that Tae Johnson, a holdover from the previous administration, continues to serve as acting ICE director.
But Johnson should have been shown the door on day one, and he should still be shown the door after a Washington Post report this month revealing that he was among officials who complained that family reunifications were happening too quickly. Johnson used the word “fiasco,” documents revealed. But he wasn’t saying separations under zero tolerance, lack of a central tracking system, or missing court-mandated deadlines were a fiasco, but that getting children back into the arms of parents too quickly was one.
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