A former U.S. Border Patrol chief says he has never met with President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, who was nominated as “border czar,” at the White House regarding the ongoing immigration issue. accused of sending mixed messages. crisis.
Raul Ortiz, who headed the U.S. Border Patrol for two years before retiring last May, accused leaders in Washington of engaging in border politics during his tenure. Sunday “60 Minutes” interviewbut he took up a particular issue about Biden and Harris.
“I have never had a conversation with the president or vice president,” Ortiz said.
“I was in charge of the border guard and commanded 21,000 people. That’s a problem,” he said of the lack of communication with the commander-in-chief and the border czar.
Ortiz was particularly responsible for one of the periods of instability on the southern border, including the massive influx of border crossers leading up to the end of Title 42 and the migrant camp that formed under the Del Rio Bridge consisting of 15,000 Haitians. I lost it.
When asked by CBS’ Cecilia Vega if he thought the White House was sending mixed messages to immigrants, Ortiz simply said, “Yes, absolutely.”
A former Border Patrol chief said the U.S. needs to make its message clear to migrants attempting to cross the U.S. southern border.
“We understand that people in Central America, South America, Mexico, these regions have no legitimate claim to any asylum benefits if they pay smugglers to cross between ports of entry. You have to get it, you’re going to be sent back,” Ortiz said.
The White House has not yet responded to Ortiz’s claim that he has never spoken to the president or vice president.
Also in the interview with Ortiz was Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a longtime critic of Biden on the border issue and who over the past three years has taken matters into his own hands by sending thousands of soldiers to fight illegal border crossings. A large-scale question and answer session was held with Mr.
Mr. Abbott claimed that even though the federal government is responsible for the U.S.-Mexico border, he has the “authority to control access to and from any land within the state of Texas,” and that this power is within the government’s control. He said it is most commonly used to block permits. Illegal entry.
Texas’ governor ultimately described the current state of the border as a “war zone” and vowed to erect barricades in all areas where migrants cross illegally.
Abbott’s declaration comes as the government expects the number of immigrants living in the United States to surge to 8 million by the end of September, an increase of 167% from five years ago, Department of Homeland Security data shows. It was held during the
The number of immigrants temporarily released into the United States from ICE custody already exceeded 6 million as of September 30, the end of fiscal year 2023, compared to 2019 when the immigration court backlog was 3 million. That’s double what it was during the Trump administration in 2017.
The immigration backlog includes immigrants awaiting deportation and immigrants whose asylum claims have not yet been finalized but are not in custody.
