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Senate opposition to the nomination of Julie Myers to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement has eased, but her fate remains uncertain as no confirmation vote has been scheduled and one freshman senator is against the appointment. The nomination originally ran into trouble because of the perception that she was too inexperienced to head the investigative arm of the Homeland Security Department.

Those concerns had eased, but troubles emerged from her participation in an office Halloween party. Myers judged an employee's costume of dreadlocks, dark makeup and prison stripes as the most original at an ICE Halloween party, and even posed for photographs with the worker.

After conducting a review of the incident, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, say they will vote to confirm Myers.

"Sen. Lieberman regrets her lapse in judgment regarding the Halloween incident," a Lieberman spokeswoman said. "He is inclined to support her nomination, given the committee's review of her entire record, the fact that the union representing 7,000 ICE employees supports her and her year's experience in office."

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing ICE employees, was unable to independently confirm Tuesday that it supports Myers' nomination. "Sen. Collins has concluded that Ms. Myers recognizes that she made serious mistakes in judgment. She clearly regrets the incident and has apologized. Despite this incident, Sen. Collins believes that Ms. Myers has done a good job leading ICE," said Collins' spokeswoman.

President Bush gave Myers -- who is the niece of former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers and wife of John Wood, former chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff -- a recess appointment in January 2006. Without Senate confirmation, her appointment expires early next year.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is "adamantly against" the nomination, her spokeswoman said. McCaskill, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, was at odds with Myers before the Halloween party because ICE was unable to provide statistics showing how many employers have been prosecuted for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. "She had some serious concerns about Julie Myers before, but those have just been exacerbated by the situation," the spokeswoman said. McCaskill has filed paperwork to place a hold on the confirmation and is trying to persuade other senators to vote against her.

"Ultimately, Sen. McCaskill has no intention of putting an indefinite hold on Julie Myers," the spokeswoman said. "She believes that if and when the nomination comes to the floor, she deserves an up or down vote."

Ultimately, it is up to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to bring the nomination to the floor for a vote, but no date has been set. Instead, Reid has concerns about Myers and "is consulting with members before deciding how to proceed," a spokesman said.

COMMENTS

• Who cares? Myers will still get the confirmation, and ICE (among other agencies) is doomed for life regardless thanks to the atrocity known as DHS. This is one relatively younger ICE employee with a long time to go who previously held great hopes and ambitions for my career with Customs. Now I have slammed the door and sealed it shut on ever even entertaining the idea of becoming anything more than a journeyman agent or expecting this agency to ever compare with the one for which I used to work. I don't care if it's a choice between applying to be a supervisor myself or having to work for someone who couldn't match wits with a rock. And I'm gone at the first available opportunity. Name Withheld Posted November 27, 2007 5:36 PM
• Shame on us if she gets nominated. As a mediator and management rep for the past 32 years, I personally have never encountered such an act by anyone (young or old) and I've seen some doosies. I was even called on the carpet once at Halloween because someone said that I was going to dress up as Nicole Brown Simpson (bloody). Actually, I was dressing as Pebbles from the Flintstones. Our party was not even during working hours, and I still got called in for something that had not happened and was not true. I'd like to know if the guy that won the contest is back at work yet. He did nothing wrong as far as I can tell. Management did. Sweep it under the carpet, that's what we're good at. Just About Retired Posted November 27, 2007 8:42 AM
• You gotta love how our political system works! It is good to know that neopotismn is alive and well! The on the job training also applies to high ranking positions; particularly so, if your Uncle and husbands are high ranking officials who have some political pull! It is unbelievable to me after so much time, energy, money has gone into developing a "fair and non discriminating" methodology to hire or select the most talented that we get someone whose only experience is being related to others in higher places! For this in a most crucial time in our history and the demand to have someone with some experience we hire someone with zilch experience to head ICE which has been struggling under DHS from the beginning to lead and guide a new organization with multiple and complex problems! I just hope our congressmen and women have enough common sense to not reassign her to the position; she couldn't get voted in the first time and should not be given it for a second term! Brenda Ray-Nayfeh Posted November 27, 2007 8:29 AM