Democrats side-eye Trump's new acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services


It's official.
After much speculation over what leadership role he would serve in the Department of Homeland Security, The Hill reported on Monday that former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) will take over as the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that administers the country's legal immigration system. Cuccinelli is a hardliner on immigration, who in the past has advocated for ending birthright citizenship and militarizing the border, and served as the chief patron for a proposed Virginia bill that would have allowed employers to fire employees who didn't speak English in the workplace.
His fellow Virginian, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), has pointed to his extremist views as reason enough to reject his confirmation, should President Trump eventually choose Cuccinelli to lead the USCIS permanently.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Hispanic Caucus, an organization consisting of Democratic members of Congress advocating for issues related to Hispanics and Latinos in the U.S., has also already expressed concern over Cuccinelli's new role, fearing he will advance an anti-immigration agenda.
But it's not just the other side of the aisle that wants to prevent Cuccinelli from advancing into a permanent role. He's made quite a few enemies within the GOP, as well, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has reportedly vowed to block Cuccinelli from getting confirmed to any position.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Bluetoothing: the phenomenon driving HIV spike in Fiji
Under the Radar ‘Blood-swapping’ between drug users fuelling growing health crisis on Pacific island
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies