Texas Harris County Sheriff Gonzalez withdraws as Biden's nominee to head ICE

Texas Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has withdrawn his bid as President Biden's nominee to lead Immigration Customs and Enforcement, amid serval challenges to his Senate confirmation including domestic violence allegations.

Gonzales, the sheriff of the state's Harris County, made the announcement Monday. 

His nomination has been stalled in the Senate for over a year. Gonzales' wife says the domestic violence allegations are false and defamatory.

Gonzales said he came to his decision to withdraw his nomination 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."

ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since 2017.

The allegations against Gonzalez stem from a years-old suit at Houston Community College that included an affidavit from a college officer alleging that he was called to a domestic dispute incident at the Gonzalez's home.

Gonzales' wife, Melissa Gonzalez, has said she never made any such complaint.

"Any suggestion that I filed or made a complaint against my husband is false and defamatory. To be clear, the assertions referenced in the affidavit, as they relate to me, my husband, or my marriage, are completely false," she wrote in a March letter.

Gonzalez has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration and its immigration policy. In 2017, Gonzalez terminated Harris County's agreement with ICE for local officers to carry out some immigration enforcement.

He has also declined to participate in high-profile ICE raids, arguing they they "drive undocumented families further into the shadows."