Biden picks Trump critics for agency

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday nominated two critics of Trump administration immigration policies for key roles at the Department of Homeland Security.

Biden named Tucson, Ariz., Police Chief Chris Magnus to be commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. Immigration policy expert Ur Mendoza Jaddou has been nominated to be director of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The nominations come as the Biden administration faces a rising number of people attempting to enter the country along the Southwest border.

Magnus publicly challenged the Trump administration’s efforts to punish cities that refused to cooperate with tougher immigration enforcement policies, arguing that it damaged relations between law enforcement and migrant communities.

Jaddou most recently was director of DHS Watch, which was broadly critical of the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail both legal and illegal immigration.

Both positions require Senate confirmation and were run by acting leaders under former President Donald Trump, repeatedly drawing criticism from Congress.