On Monday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kevin McAleenan as
commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection by a vote of 77 to 19. McAleenan,
who has served as a deputy commissioner for CBP since 2014, has served as
acting commissioner of the agency since January 2017, following former
Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske's retirement.
U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Roger Dow
applauded McAleenan's confirmation. "Under his leadership, CBP has
continued its record as an excellent partner to the travel community," Dow
said. "He prioritizes initiatives to make passenger processing at airports
efficient as well as effective and has championed efforts to strengthen the
Visa Waiver Program, as well as to expand Global Entry and Preclearance
locations worldwide."
McAleenan's nomination drew opposition from some Senate
Democrats who criticized his handling of immigration issues during his tenure
as acting commissioner. "Throughout his tenure at CBP, there have been
persistent management problems, including a chaotic rollout of the
unconstitutional Muslim ban, a lack of transparency at border patrol checkpoints,
expanded enforcement activities that undermine the civil liberties of border
communities and troubling allegations of misconduct and a lack of
accountability," California Sen. Kamala Harris said.