New leaked footage obtained by the Washington Examiner last week shows Border Patrol agents pushing back on agency leadership over President Joe Biden’s US-Mexico border policy as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited the southern border.
During a heated exchange between Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz and agents in Laredo, Texas, one agent blasted Border Patrol leadership for allowing illegal immigrants to be “dropped off in our communities.”
“For evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. That’s exactly what’s happening here,” the person said. “Good men are doing nothing. You’re allowing illegal aliens to be dropped off in our communities.”
Ortiz encouraged the agents not to “give up” and said to “stay focused” on the “job and mission we all signed up for,” but the agents rejected the leader’s remarks, with one agent arguing that “it’s kind of hard to say that,” while another snapped, “to defend the Constitution.”
Ortiz fired back. “It’s not hard to say that,” he said firmly. “It may be hard for you to say it, but I’ve been doing this for 31 years. It’s not hard for me to say it. Every day, I wake up, and I’m committed to this organization, and I’m committed to each one of y’all.”
The crowd of agents responded again, accusing Border Patrol leadership of pushing policies that don’t match agency rhetoric, including one who apparently highlighted how the Biden administration is allowing illegal immigrants with criminal histories to be released in the U.S.
“You’re getting bogged down in the policies and the politics,” Ortiz said, later asserting that the agency is doing important work every day, including getting rid of dangerous drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine.
One agent scoffed at Ortiz’s comment, noting that “under this administration,” there has been the “highest [number of] fentanyl deaths in the history of our country.”
Sec. Mayorkas has previously said that he is aware the Biden administration’s policies “are not particularly popular with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
“Let’s see what we can do within that framework,” Mayorkas said regarding Biden’s border policies. “I don’t expect people to hold back.”
Last week, an anonymous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official told Fox News that the agency has been releasing illegal immigrants with criminal histories, including assault, DUI, drug possession and illegal re-entry, into the United States.
ICE is making custody decisions on a “case by case” basis, the official said. Once determined, ICE transports illegal immigrants to airports and transit stations, and works with private organizations to coordinate shelter, food, clothing and additional transport.
