Cuccinelli named acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services
Source: The Hill
Cuccinelli named acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 06/10/19 11:39 AM EDT
Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) on Monday began his new job as acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a controversial appointment that could set up a showdown between the White House and Senate Republicans.
President Trump tapped Cuccinelli to lead the agency, which is tasked with administering the nation's legal immigration system, at a time when he is seeking to crack down on illegal migration and make it tougher for immigrants to obtain benefits.
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Cuccinelli's appointment was weeks in the making, with Trump eyeing the fellow immigration hard-liner for a top role at DHS. ... He will replace Lee Francis Cissna, who was forced out as USCIS chief late last month amid a rolling shakeup at the department that was engineered by top White House policy adviser Stephen Miller.
Cuccinelli, however, could face a rocky road to confirmation should Trump nominate him to lead USCIS on a permanent basis. ... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has long opposed the former Virginia attorney general, dating back to the Cuccinelli-led Senate Conservatives Fund's effort to oust the top Senate Republican in 2014. McConnell spoke out against Cuccinelli in April when his onetime foe was rumored to be in the running to lead DHS.
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Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/447724-cuccinelli-named-acting-head-of-citizenship-and-immigration-services
I know: the WaTimes is no good as a source for LBN. I'll get a better source as soon as I can. No one else has the story right now.
Please be patient. Thanks for understanding.
{edited} It's in the WaPo and The Hill now. I am updating the post now.
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Earlier version:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jun/10/ken-cuccinelli-named-acting-head-dhss-legal-immigr/
Ken Cuccinelli named acting head of DHS's legal immigration division
By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Updated: 11:39 a.m. on Monday, June 10, 2019
Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli was officially named acting director at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Monday, putting him in charge of some of the most important behind-the-scene immigration initiatives of the Trump administration.
Foremost among his tasks will be to speed changes to a major guest-worker program and to finalize the new "public charge" rules, which are designed to push legal immigrants to prove they can be self-sustaining without becoming dependent on public assistance.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan announced Mr. Cuccinelli's accession to the USCIS job in a statement Monday.
Mr. Cuccinelli had been under consideration for a job as immigration "czar" at the White House, but instead President Trump deputed him over to Homeland Security as an adviser.
Now he lands in a specific job, taking over for Director Francis Cissna, who had fallen out of favor with the White House for not moving fast enough on what top presidential advisers said were their top priorities.
Though it gets less attention than the other two immigration agencies, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, USCIS handles the processing of legal immigration applications and some visitor visas.
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Steven Strauss Retweeted
https://twitter.com/Steven_Strauss
I could be missing something, but by what statutory authority did the President purport to appoint Cuccinelli as Acting Director of USCIS? He doesn't meet any of the criteria under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/3345 ...
(Paging @AJosephOConnell...)
Link to tweet
NEW: Ken Cuccinelli has been tapped to lead USCIS. He starts today as acting director of the agency, according to an email sent to staff.
Link to tweet
= new reply since forum marked as read
