(Headline USA) President Joe Biden’s former border chief blasted the administration recently for opening the southern border, accusing the president of doing so knowingly.
During a 60 Minutes interview in March, former Customs and Border Protection chief Raul Ortiz said the Biden administration sent mixed messages to illegal immigrants about whether they would be welcome at the border.
This led to the massive influx of illegals the country has experienced over the past four years, he said.
“We need to make sure that Central America, South America, Mexico, that those regions understand that if you pay a smuggler and you cross in between the ports of entry and you do not have a legitimate claim to some sort of asylum benefit, you’re gonna be sent back,” Ortiz said.
As Sky News Australia recently reported, Ortiz also said Biden never bothered to communicate with him or other border officers about the crisis – even as it continued to worsen.
“I’ve never had one conversation with the president. Or the vice president, for that matter,” Ortiz said. “And so I was the chief of the border patrol. I commanded 21,000 people. That’s a problem.”
Ortiz went on to blast Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as well for not cooperating with border agents in his efforts to control the flow of illegal immigration into his state.
“When agencies are making a decision based upon politics or whether they’re gonna get media coverage, hey, we’re gonna put all our personnel in this two-mile stretch. What about the other 200 miles?” Ortiz said.
For his part, Abbott has defended his decision to rely on Texas law enforcement and the state’s National Guard for border security, arguing the Biden administration’s border agencies have been instructed to continue letting illegal immigrants into the country.
In a letter to Biden last year, Abbott wrote, “You must fully enforce the laws of the United States that prohibit illegal immigration between ports of entry. In the meantime, Texas will fully utilize its constitutional authority to deal with the crisis you have caused. Texas will see you in court, Mr. President.”
