WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump has asked the head of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency to resign from his post within the Department of Homeland Security.
Lee Francis Cissna told staff members Friday that his last day would be June 1, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Associated Press.
Cissna leads the agency responsible for legal immigration, including benefits and visas. With his departure, there are more than a dozen vacancies of top leadership positions at the sprawling, 240,000-employee department. Some are being temporarily filled, including secretary and inspector general. Cissna's position, like others, requires Senate confirmation.
Cissna's job had widely been considered in jeopardy last month, when the White House announced the departures of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Secret Service Director Randolph "Tex" Alles, whose agency is also part of the Homeland Security Department. Trump's aides reportedly felt Cissna wasn't moving quickly enough to tighten immigration rules and push through changes in regulations.
But his job was temporarily saved after high-ranking Republicans spoke out about his record, particularly Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who worked with Cissna for years.
Cissna said just two weeks ago that his agency was training dozens of Border Patrol agents to start screening migrants arriving on the Southwest border for asylum as the number of families seeking the protection surged.
Asylum officers conduct initial interviews of border arrivals to determine whether they have a credible fear of returning to their countries or should be sent back. Those who pass the interviews are allowed to seek asylum before an immigration judge, but their cases may take years to wind through the backlogged immigration courts.
But Trump is dealing with a growing crisis as tens of thousands of Central Americans cross the border each month, overwhelming the system. The president has been a proponent of reduced immigration and tighter border security.
Cissna told staff members in the email that he was grateful for their support and service, but offered no information on what was ahead.
"During the past 20 months, every day, I have passionately worked to carry out [the agency's] mission to faithfully administer the nation's lawful immigration system," Cissna wrote.
Last week, administration officials said Ken Cuccinelli, the former attorney general of Virginia, would be taking a Homeland Security job, but it wasn't clear what his role would be. A person familiar with the matter said Cuccinelli was being considered for Cissna's job, but it was unclear how that would work because the position requires Senate confirmation.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters within the administration.
Cuccinelli's name has been tossed around for months. He also had been considered for a position as an immigration "czar," a job possibly housed within the White House, but officials said last week that he would not be taking on that role.
A Section on 05/26/2019