On Friday, a group of agents openly challenged the leader of the U.S. Border Patrol, claiming that their hands have been tied by the Biden administration.
Customs and Border Protection officials got into a heated exchange with United States Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz. Frustrated with the constant influx of illegal aliens and lethal narcotics flooding the southern border, many agents indicated they feel powerless to stop the lawlessness due to regulatory limitations based on political correctness rather than reality.
“We stay focused, we continue to do the job and the mission that we signed up for . . . we all raised our hand,” Ortiz said in leaked footage released by journalist Ali Bradley, to which an officer shot back, “It’s kind of hard to say it.”
“It’s not hard to say it! It might be hard for you to say it but I’ve been doing it for 31 years,” Ortiz yelled. “Each day I wake up and I’m committed to this organization and I’m committed to each one of y’all.”
“You say that, but it seems like the policies contradict . . .” an agent started to say before Ortiz retorted, “You’re getting bogged down in the policies and the politics.”
“You can’t even say ‘illegal alien,’ that’s why Chief Scott left,” an agent said, referring to the Biden administration’s recent demand that immigration language be more “inclusive.”
“Why are you guys getting caught up in semantics? We can sit here and argue about it until we’re blue in the face,” Ortiz said, urging his men to refocus on the mission at hand. His inferiors, however, argued that the mission becomes meaningless when officers aren’t given the tools and authority to accomplish it.
“I’ve been doing this job as long as y’all,” Ortiz said.
“That’s the problem, chief,” an agent said. “For evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. That’s exactly what’s happening here. Good men are doing nothing. You’re allowing illegal aliens to be dropped off in communities…”
The chief, in response, tried to convince the agents that their work has not been in vain. “You are doing something! You’re rescuing people everyday, you’re taking fentanyl off the streets everyday, you’re taking methamphetamine off the streets everyday, illegal aliens off the streets everyday,” he said.
“Yes, and under a different administration, in the last year, we’ve had the highest fentanyl deaths in the history of our country. In one year!” an agent reminded.
Ortiz touted that the agency has had record fentanyl seizures this year, to which another agent begged the question: “How many have we not caught? . . . We don’t have results!”
Source: National Review
