Julie L. Myers, the Bush administration’s choice to head U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, has recently come under fire from lawmakers and experts on immigration who do not believe she is qualified for such a demanding position.  According to Eileen Sullivan and Jim Morris of CQ Homeland Security, these critics believe that the new leader of ICE should have experience in both law enforcement and management, qualifications that they say Myers does not have.  Myers was the former chief of staff under Michael Chertoff, the current head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in the Department of Justice.

The position requires five years of management experience in law enforcement, which Myers just barely fulfills.  Her experience includes work as an assistant U.S. attorney, work in the Departments of Treasury and Commerce, and experience as chief of staff in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice under Michael Chertoff, who is now the current Secretary of Homeland Security.  The principle objections to Myers’ nomination stem from her qualifications and several senators do not believe that her experience is sufficient for the post.  One such senator is George V. Voinovich of Ohio, who originally doubted her qualifications and particularly her ability to manage a 20,000-employee organization.  Voinovich, however, changed his mind after speaking with Myers and her prospective boss, Michael Chertoff.  Chertoff wants Myers for the job, and their previous professional relationship is promising for future success.

ICE was formed from parts of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in 2003 as a part of the new DHS and is now the second-largest investigative government agency.  The only confirmed chief of ICE to date, Michael Garcia, was the acting INS commissioner and a federal prosecutor before becoming the leader of the new agency.  Garcia’s predecessor, James Ziglar, also did not have a background in immigration law.  Critics of Myers consider her to be even less experienced than her colleagues, while her defenders state that her experience in DHS and as a prosecutor give her a range of experience that will aid her in resolving any specific problems that could potentially arise.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has not taken an official position on Myers, but has expressed a wish that the new chief of ICE be willing to partner with the union.  The AFGE represents approximately 7,800 ICE employees and another 14,200 DHS employees.  The union would like the leader of ICE to seek out feedback from ICE employees to ensure that they are receiving what is necessary for their job, namely equipment and training.

The criticisms of this appointment come at a time when President Bush is also receiving criticism for the performance of the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Michael D. Brown in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Brown, who lacked emergency management experience, resigned this month after having been pulled out of Louisiana. 

Before confirming Myers, some senators of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs would like her to answer more questions.