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A last-minute deal signed by Trump officials with the Immigration and Customs Officers Union, which could have undermined sweeping policy changes, was rejected by the Biden administration.
Tuesday’s decision sets the stage for a possible showdown between President Joe Biden and the ICE union, which endorsed former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
Earlier this month, a whistleblower alleged that Ken Cuccinelli, a senior Trump administration official, abused his authority by concluding a package of deals that gave the union “extraordinary power and benefits” and he allowed “to indefinitely delay changes in immigration enforcement policies and practices.”
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security warned the ICE union; he had determined that one of the agreements “was not negotiated in the interests of DHS and was frowned upon because it does not comply with applicable law,” a spokesperson for the agency in a press release.
“The ministry’s director of human capital informed ICE and the union in writing today that the proposed deal has been frowned upon,” the spokesperson added. “DHS will make political decisions in accordance with the law and on the basis of what is best for national security, public safety, and border security while respecting our nation’s values.”
According to DHS, officials have 30 days to approve or disapprove the agreement after it is signed.
Cuccinelli, the controversial former acting deputy secretary, signed a series of agreements requiring DHS to give local courts six months to review and submit comments on changes in immigration policy. The state of Texas, which signed one of the agreements, ultimately sued DHS over Biden’s deportation moratorium, claiming he violated the contract.
A union representative did not immediately return a request for comment. But Cuccinelli told the New York Times earlier this month: “The deal is completely legal and proper, otherwise we wouldn’t have executed it.”
In its first week, the Biden administration released new priorities for ICE agents effective February 1, including that they should focus on immigrants who have been seen as a threat to the national security, were arrested at the border after November 1, 2020 or been convicted of an aggravated felony.
“This abuse of power is shocking,” said whistleblower’s lawyer David Seide. “When the evidence is gathered – the timing of the last second of the agreements, their disproportionate transfer of power and benefits, their alleged invulnerability and the extraordinary involvement of Mr. Cuccinelli – it is clear that they are another example of the effort of the previous administration in its decline. hours to cement a legacy at taxpayer expense. “
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