WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Obama's pick of Dallas-based U.S. attorney Sarah Saldaña as the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Saldaña, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, was picked by the Senate with a vote of 55-39, with near-unanimous opposition from Republicans. Had the position not come to a vote in the waning hours of the lame-duck session, it's likely she wouldn't have been confirmed by next year's Republican-majority Senate.
Senate Democrats had time to select Saldaña and 23 other pending executive and judicial nominees after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, forced an over-the-weekend "point of order" vote on the constitutionality of Obama's executive order on immigration.
"I'm no expert in Senate procedure," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said prior to the vote. "I do understand, based on the news reports that I've read, that some of the shenanigans that he carried out on the Senate floor did create an opening and additional time for these highly qualified nominees to be confirmed. And if that's the case, then it may be an indication that Senator Cruz doesn't know much more about Senate floor procedure than I do. But we certainly are pleased with the outcome."
For his part Obama issued a statement Tuesday applauding Saldaña's 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."
In a written questionnaire from Senate Republicans, Saldaña said she agreed with Obama's executive action on immigration announced last month.
"I believe that the president of the United States, as others before him, has legal authority to take executive action to address areas within the purview of the executive branch," she said.
