Working on immigration policy isn't easy in the best of circumstances. But this current crisis, which is a disaster of epic proportions, calls for a team of strong, no-nonsense leaders. Fortunately, the Trump administration has found one in former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
The former gubernatorial candidate in the commonwealth was just named acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) -- an announcement that's sure to send the open-border radicals into hysterics. Cuccinelli, after all, has built his reputation as a leader who works within the rule of law. That's exactly what the doctor ordered on the border, where the humanitarian, drug, criminal, violence, and trafficking problems are all crying out for someone with a proven track record on enforcement.
While Ken was at the University of Virginia, he worked extremely hard to combat the sexual assaults on campus -- a legacy he built on as a state senator when he introduced an anti-trafficking bill. All of that will come in handy now as he confronts one of the most vicious forms of human slavery.
"USCIS has the extraordinary responsibility to administer and protect the integrity of our nation's lawful immigration system," the new acting director said in a statement. "Our nation has the most generous legal immigration system in the world and we must zealously safeguard its promise for those who lawfully come here. I look forward to working with the men and women of USCIS to ensure our legal immigration system operates effectively and efficiently while deterring fraud and protecting the American people."
Under a Democratic majority that seems intent on blocking the president's progress on the issue at every turn, Republicans are relieved to have someone in the role who will fight for the administration's priorities. "Ken Cuccinelli is a law and order man," Representative (and fellow Virginian) Ben Cline told me on "Washington Watch.". "... He will make sure that laws are being implemented correctly." And in the political climate we're living in, that's half the battle!
