Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has withdrawn from consideration to be director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
President Biden nominated him for the post in April 2021.
"More than a year has passed since the President nominated me for this important position, which has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration,” Gonzalez said Monday on social media.
Gonzalez said he informed administration officials of his decision Sunday.
“I arrived at this decision after prayerfully considering what’s best for our nation, my family, and the people of Harris County who elected me to serve a second term as sheriff,” he wrote.
ICE has been without a confirmed director since 2017.
Gonzalez thanked Biden “for the honor of nominating me, and I wish this administration well as it strives to overcome the paralyzing political gridlock that threatens far more than our nation’s border. Frankly, the dysfunction threatens America’s heart and soul.”
Gonzalez spent 18 years with the Houston Police Department before being elected sheriff in 2016.