(UnitedHeadlines.com) – In a “60 Minutes” interview that aired March 3, the former Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol said that during his two years as the head of the Border Patrol, he never had a conversation with either President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris.
During the interview, Raul Ortiz stated that both Democrats and Republicans neglect hundreds of miles of open border while engaging in media ops in a “two-mile stretch.” However, he noted his frustration that he never talked to either the president or vice president, who has been the administration’s “border czar” since May 2021, calling it “a problem.”
He answered that he thinks mixed messages are “most definitely” sent by the White House to migrants. He added that a clear message needs to be sent by the United States that migrants from Central and South America without a legitimate asylum claim will be deported back to their home country.
According to an official with the Biden administration, Ortiz was invited to meet with Biden in January 2023 during his trip to the border, but Ortiz did not attend.
Ortiz, who retired in May 2023, served as the U.S. Chief of Border Patrol under Biden and the deputy chief under former President Donald Trump. During a House field hearing in March 2023 in McAllen, Texas, Ortiz testified under oath that the border is not secure. He presided over the Border Patrol during incidents such as Border Patrol agents being falsely accused by Biden of whipping migrants and the end of Title 42 expulsions.
During Biden and Trump’s dueling trips to the southern border Feb. 29, Biden did meet with the 26th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Jason Owens. Almost 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the border since Biden took office in January 2021. According to Owens, so far this fiscal year, more than 890,000 immigrants have been apprehended at the border by agents.
Copyright 2024, UnitedHeadlines.com
