Kevin McAleenan Confirmed as Commissioner of CBP

On March 19, 2019, the United States Senate confirmed Kevin McAleenan as the new Commissioner of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by a vote of 77-19.¹ McAleenan had been serving as Acting Commissioner of the CBP since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2017. President Trump nominated McAleenan to become the permanent Commissioner of the CBP on March 30, 2017 [see blog].

Prior to becoming Acting Commissioner and then Commissioner, McAleenan served as Deputy Commissioner of the CBP from November 2, 2014, through January 20, 2017. McAleenan served in various other capacities in the CBP and in the legacy U.S. Customs Service beginning in 2006. Before serving in government, McAleenan practiced law in California, having received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School [PDF version].

With McAleenan now confirmed, two of the three main immigration components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — the CBP and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) [see article] — have permanent heads. The nomination of Thomas Homan for Director of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains pending before the U.S. Senate. Homan is currently serving as Acting Director. We will update the website with more information as it becomes available.

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1. Dinan, Stephen. “Senate approves Trump's border chief.” The Washington Times. Mar. 19, 2018. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/19/kevin-mcaleenan-confirmed-us-customs-and-border-pr/