Sarah Saldaña wins ICE confirmation thanks partly to Ted Cruz

By Todd J. Gillman

WASHINGTON – Dallas prosecutor Sarah Saldaña won confirmation this afternoon as head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the second largest federal law enforcement agency after the FBI.

She can thank one of her top critics, Sen. Ted Cruz.

Over the weekend, Cruz invoked a parliamentary maneuver to force a vote on the constitutionality of funding the president’s immigration policies. The effort failed, badly. But it let Democrats keep the Senate in session over the weekend, allowing time to confirm far more nominees than they’d hoped before Republicans take control of the Senate on Jan. 6.

“Oh, I think they got some help there,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said of Cruz’s tactics. As for Saldaña, he asserted that she is “not qualified” and probably couldn’t have won confirmation if the vote had been delayed until Republicans take over.

President Obama issued a statement lauding the confirmation.

“Sarah is the right person to lead the dedicated men and women at ICE in securing our borders, keeping American communities safe, and upholding our values,” he said. “Since I took office, illegal border crossings are down and removal of dangerous criminals is up.  I’m confident Sarah will help us build on this progress while protecting our country in a smart, effective, and humane way.”