Republicans have long accused the Biden administration of presiding over a state of chaos along America's southern border.
The situation seems unlikely to improve following a report that a high-level White House figure is on the way out.
According to the Washington Examiner, Acting ICE Deputy Director Tae Johnson will be stepping down shortly after working for 28 years as an immigration officer.
ICE spokeswoman Jenny Burke provided an email to the Examiner in which she described talk of Johnson's impending departure as "rumors" and stressed that he "has not announced plans to retire."
"He will continue leading the men and women of this agency with the same integrity and commitment that he has demonstrated throughout his entire career," she went on to add.
However, Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales confirmed to the newspaper on Tuesday that Johnson will indeed leave in the coming weeks.
The Examiner noted that Johnson was made acting ICE deputy director in January of 2021 after former criminal prosecutor Jonathan Fahey stepped down from the role a week prior to former President Donald Trump's departure from office.
While it is not clear who will succeed Johnson as head of ICE, one possible candidate is Deputy Director Patrick J. Lechleitner.
What is clear is that whoever fills Johnson's shoes will have to contend with the worst border crisis that the United States has thus far seen.
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told members of the House Homeland Security Committee in a hearing last month that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacks "operational control" of America's southern border.
🚨🚨🚨 BREAKING: Border Patrol Chief Ortiz contradicts Secretary Mayorkas and admits the truth:
DHS does NOT have operational control over our southern border. pic.twitter.com/YmpVy0t6c1
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) March 15, 2023
What's more, Ortiz told Oklahoma Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen that he disagreed with President Joe Biden's decision to halt construction of his predecessor's border wall.
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told @RepBrecheen on Wednesday that he disagreed with the Biden administration’s decision to stop building the Southern border wall that President Donald Trump had begun. pic.twitter.com/ULuVorIKHi
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) March 16, 2023
What's more, Ortiz also complained that the Border Patrol "tore down perfectly good infrastructure system in some areas that we should have just left alone."
