Lee Francis Cissna announced his resignation from his post as the head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the president’s request on Friday. Now, the Trump administration has reportedly chosen Ken Cuccinelli to take his place.
The White House signaled earlier this month that Cuccinelli would soon be appointed to a top post in the Department of Homeland Security, which remains checkered with more than a dozen vacancies after a personnel shakeup that included former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Neilsen leaving her post.
A place for Cuccinelli
Cuccinelli, best known for his tenure as attorney general of Virginia from 2010 to 2014, has historically held a hardline stance on immigration, opposing birthright citizenship and favoring cutting public benefits to immigrants.
Moreover, although Cuccinelli supported Ted Cruz in the 2016 primary, he has consistently supported Trump since then, and has appeared on television many times to defend Trump’s immigration and other policies.
But although the president is clearly a fan, it may not be smooth sailing for Cuccinelli from here. The Senate must confirm Cuccinelli to the USCIS position, and the legislative body’s Republican majority may not be able to save the Virginia politician from his beef with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY).
McConnell has opposed Cuccinelli’s appointment to any top position in light of his involvement with a political action committee that supported a primary challenge against the Kentucky senator in 2014 — and it seems much of the majority leader’s caucus is following suit. According to The New York Times, “A person close to [McConnell] said on Friday that Mr. Cuccinelli would not make it through the confirmation process.”
It remains to be seen how the confirmation process will shake out, but it appears Trump has decided to go for it in hopes of getting a hardliner in this important position. The USCIS chief is responsible for creating immigration policy and enforcing rules related to legal immigration.
What immigration policy needs
Cissna, who will officially leave his post on June 1, had support from some members of Congress, who spoke up in defense of him after Neilsen stepped down. But he ultimately could not overcome the bureaucracy to accomplish some of the rule changes that Trump needs to overhaul the nation’s broken immigration system.
According to aides close to Cissna, he seemed unable to make the necessary moves to accomplish Trump’s priorities. And while some in Congress vouched for him, their support was only able to prolong the inevitable.
Cuccinelli represents a chance to make major changes to the legal immigration process as Trump hopes to enact a merit-based system to replace the current one, which largely favors family ties. The president has also expressed a goal of limiting the number of immigrants who might qualify for public benefits.
Bucking the trend
It may not be seen as a wise move to choose a nominee opposed by your own party, but Trump is sending a message that he needs strong and decisive leadership in DHS, and that the immigration system needs more than a bureaucrat rubber-stamping current laws that are serving to prop up a broken system.
Once again, Trump has shown that he cares more about doing what he thinks is right than about a popularity contest. Cuccinelli may not be popular with McConnell, but Trump thinks he has something to offer to DHS.
Let’s hope Cuccinelli gets the chance to show what he can do.
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