The Senate has confirmed Sarah Saldaña as the nation’s top immigration official after a more than 500-day wait.
Her bid to head the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, was approved Tuesday along a mostly party-line vote of 55-39. Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Orrin Hatch of Utah were the lone Republicans to support her nomination, while no Democrats voted no.
Saldaña will be the first Latina to serve in the post.
Her nomination initially had more Republican support, particularly a glowing recommendation from Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas. But GOP backing for Saldaña crumbled last month after she said President Obama’s recent executive action to allow millions of undocumented workers in the U.S. to remain was legal — a move strongly opposed by Republicans.
“Based on her qualifications alone, we would be hard-pressed to find a person better suited for the job,” said Cornyn. “Unfortunately, the president changed everything last [month] by his … executive actions on immigration.
“It is for these reasons I regrettably cannot support her nomination.”
But Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chastised his GOP colleagues for using Saldaña’s nomination as an opportunity to attack the president’s immigration reforms, saying she is “more than capable” of executing the duties of the position.
“If senators want our immigration laws enforced, they should focus on filling this key leadership position,” he said.
Saldaña currently serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, a position to which she was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2011.
ICE, part of the Homeland Security Department, is responsible for identifying and fixing vulnerabilities regarding the nation’s border, economic, transportation and infrastructure security. The agency also handles responsibilities such as investigating and preventing drug smuggling, human trafficking and computer hacking.
