Another Nominee Down the Drain as Biden Struggles To Fill Key Positions
(DailyVantage.com) – Since he took office, President Joe Biden has had a tough time getting his nominees for various positions through the Senate. It looks like he can now add another failed attempt to his list as Harris County, Texas, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has withdrawn his name from consideration as head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Sunday, June 26, Gonzalez notified the Biden Administration he no longer wanted the Senate to consider him for the position. Instead, the sheriff wants to focus on serving Harris County, where constituents re-elected him. He posted his rationale on Twitter, saying he appreciates the nomination and hopes the country can come together.
1/5 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.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 27, 2022
Biden originally nominated Gonzalez just three months after taking office, but he failed to make it through the confirmation process. The president then resubmitted the sheriff’s name this January, but after accusations of a domestic violence incident with his wife and the release of a police affidavit surfaced, Democrats refused to advance him.
There hasn’t been an appointed head of ICE since the Obama era. During former President Donald Trump’s administration, the agency operated under acting heads. With the border crisis still bringing hundreds of thousands of immigrants to the country and horrific incidents such as the alleged human smuggling attempt that left more than 50 dead this week, it’s clear the agency must take action. But for now, it’ll need to be without an official-appointed head of ICE.
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