A former U.S. Border Patrol chief told 60 Minutes that President Biden never spoke to him during his two years on the job. So did Vice President Kamala Harris, who was named the administration’s “border czar” by President Biden in May 2021.
Raul Ortiz served as Border Patrol chief under President Biden and deputy secretary under former President Trump, retiring in May 2023.
Then-U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz listens to a press conference in Washington, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
In an interview aired Sunday, Ortiz accused politicians, both Republican and Democratic, of engaging in “two-mile zone” media operations that ignore hundreds of miles of open border.
But he expressed particular dissatisfaction with the president, saying that in his two years in office, “I have never had a single conversation with the president or vice president.”
“I was the head of the Border Patrol, and I was in charge of 21,000 people. That’s a problem,” he said.
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Ortiz said the United States needs to send a clear message to Latin Americans that if they do not have a legitimate asylum claim, they will be deported.
Asked if he thought the White House was sending mixed messages to immigrants, he said, “I definitely think so.”
Mr. Ortiz has covered some of the most high-profile issues, including the 15,000 Haitian migrants under the bridge in Del Rio, agents accused of flogging, ending Title 42 deportations, and record illegal border crossings. Commanded the Border Patrol during several incidents.
Ortiz testified under oath in March 2023 during a House outdoor hearing in McAllen, Texas, that the border is not secure. He resigned two months later.
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His interview came after Biden and Trump dueled to the southern border, emphasizing how central the border is to the 2024 presidential election.
