Deafening silence
Ex-boarder chief 'never talked to Biden, Haris'
President Biden’s former border chief denounced the current administration’s border policies, telling CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday neither President Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with him during his tenure.
Raul Ortiz oversaw Customs and Border Protection during historic levels of illegal immigration from August 2021 until his retirement in June 2023.
He said he feels the Biden administration has sent mixed messages to migrants about whether they’re welcome at the southern border.
“‘I’ve never had one conversation with the president. Or the vice president, for that matter. And so I was the chief of the border patrol. I commanded 21,000 people. That’s a problem,” Ortiz 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.”
The White House didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment.
‘Political’ motivations
Over 7.6 million migrants have been encountered by border agents at the southern border and an additional 1.7 million migrant “gotaways” are known to have illegally sneaked over unapprehended during the Biden administration.
But Ortiz also criticized efforts by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to control the flow of illegal immigration into his state by deploying additional barriers and boots on the ground as part of his statewide Operation Lone Star.
He said Abbott hasn’t cooperated with Border Patrol, adding he feels the governor’s actions are motivated by politics.
“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.
The Biden administration has recently made last-minute policy changes to address the situation at the border, which officials claim is motivated by the looming November election.
It announced on May 16 a new plan to expedite the asylum adjudication process for migrants who will have their cases heard in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles or New York City.
Decisions about whether the migrants are able to stay in the country would be made within 180 days.
It has also introduced new restrictions for asylum interviews taking place at the southern border to more quickly remove migrants who can’t prove they have a “credible fear” of returning to their home country.
The president is also said to be considering capping daily border crossings at 4,000, sources recently told The Post.