Pro-Sanctuary Chief to Lead Joe Biden’s CBP as Illegal Immigration Skyrockets

President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency was confirmed by the United States Senate in a 50-47 vote.

Tuscon, Arizona, Police Chief Chris Magnus was confirmed on Tuesday evening with all Senate Democrats supporting his nomination as well as Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), James Lankford (R-OK), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) did not vote.

Magnus, as Breitbart News reported, has a record of supporting sanctuary city policies, attacking the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency for enforcing federal immigration law, praising Black Lives Matter protests, and blasting former President Trump for increasing interior immigration enforcement.

In one specific case, Magnus privately defended sanctuary city policies in the wake of 32-year-old Kate Steinle’s killing. Steinle was killed by a seven-time felon, five-time deported illegal alien Jose Garcia Zarate.

In 2015, at the time of Steinle’s killing, ICE requested that the San Fransisco Sheriff’s Office turn Zarate over to them for arrest and deportation. The request was ignored because of the office’s sanctuary policy and Zarate was released from local police custody.

An op-ed was subsequently published in the Sacramento Bee that warned Americans not to oppose sanctuary policies in the wake of Steinle’s killing. Magnus sent the op-ed to Rep. Mark DeSaulnier’s (D-CA) office, writing “Relevant, timely editorial on Sanctuary Cities and Community Policing.”

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Magnus seemingly admitted that Biden’s “sanctuary country” policies — where ICE agents are barred from arresting and deporting most illegal aliens in the U.S. — were, in fact, encouraging illegal immigration.

Magnus’s confirmation comes as illegal immigration to the U.S. has skyrocketed.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas estimates that by the end of the year, more than two million border crossers and illegal aliens will have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in the hopes of entering the country.

Meanwhile, data has revealed that the Biden administration has released more than 530,000 border crossers and illegal aliens into the U.S. interior since January.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.