Obama’s Head of Border Security Resigns

Alan Bersin, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, resigned Thursday, The Hill reports.

President Barack Obama gave him a recess appointment in 2010 after the Senate blocked his confirmation. The recess appointment was set to expire Dec. 31.

Bersin joins Don Berwick, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who resigned in November; the expiration date of his recess appointment also was looming.

The House and Senate are staying in session over Christmas to prevent Obama from making any more recess appointments.

No replacement has been named for Bersin. Customs and Border Protection is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar will serve as acting commissioner, said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.