President Biden’s expected choice to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chris Magnus has a record of defending sanctuary cities and resisting Trump administration orders over undocumented immigrants.
Magnus is currently chief of police in Tucson, Arizona, where he made headlines for rejecting federal border security grants from Operation Stonegarden in 2020 – a decision that drew criticism from Tucson Police Chief Tony Archibald.
COMMANDED CRANES TUCSON, ARIZONA, POLICE CHIEF CHRIS MAGNUS NOMINATE AS CBP
“This federal funding has for years paid for overtime for officers to do proactive activities on the ground in areas with major crime,” Archibald was quoted as saying by the Arizona Daily Star at the time.
“The deployment of Stonegarden has led to hundreds of arrests that would not have taken place without this federal money. In addition, the deployment of Stonegarden has taken countless guns and drugs off the streets of Tucson,” he added. “Without these federally funded overtime deployments, a police officer who is already understaffed would be difficult to address these crime issues.”
Years earlier, Magnus had covered the immigration policies of former Attorney General Jeff Session in a 2017 report in The New York Times.
“As the chief of police here, I’m deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s campaign against ‘sanctuary cities,’ which refuse to hand over undocumented immigrants to federal authorities. Washington is trying to take their revenge by withholding money for things like crime prevention, drug treatment and mental health programs, ”Magnus wrote.
Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus stands with protesters over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner during a peaceful rally in Richmond, California, on December 9, 2014.
(Kristopher Skinner / MediaNews Group / The Mercury News via Getty Images)
“Almost all local law enforcement agencies, regardless of the ‘sanctuary’ or ‘immigrant-welcoming’ policies adopted by their jurisdictions, work with federal authorities to pursue drug cartels, human traffickers and transnational gangs,” he continued. “Department of Justice grants and other federal aid funded by our taxes should not be linked to immigration policy.”
Magnus explained that Tucson is not a sanctuary city, but that its leaders are “proud to welcome immigrants.”
Also in 2017, Magnus’ police department opposed orders from then-Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to prioritize enforcement actions for undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes, the Arizona Republic reports. The orders also enabled local authorities to apprehend and deport most undocumented immigrants they encounter through a program that cities and provinces can join.
“By entangling local policing with additional responsibilities for immigration enforcement, it will seriously jeopardize our ability to maintain the trust and support of our diverse community,” Magnus told The Arizona Republic. “If one of our residents thinks that by reporting a crime, seeking help or working with the police to make their neighborhoods safer, they are constitutionally detained or deported for longer, our community becomes less safe.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We will not jeopardize our commitment to community policing and public safety by assuming immigration enforcement responsibilities, which are appropriately vested in the federal authorities,” he continued.
Magnus previously worked at the Department of Police Department in Fargo, North Dakota, and Richmond, California. He is described as having “extensive experience in dealing with immigration issues” due to Tucson’s proximity to the border, according to information obtained by Fox News.
Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.