Border Patrol cannot see path forward under Biden: 'There is no morale'EXCLUSIVE from AUSTIN, Texas — U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed along the southern border have nothing left in the tank.
For months, agents have warned that morale within the ranks of the federal law enforcement organization is sinking, but the last shreds of spirit have since been dashed by outright animosity from the Biden administration, agents told the Washington Examiner.
"Under Biden, things are the worst they have ever been by far," said one agent who is based in Arizona. "Agents are calling in all the time. You always hear, 'It doesn’t matter,' or, 'What’s the point?' in reference to doing our job. Agents are afraid of ending up on the news for doing their job or getting in trouble for doing their job. There is no morale."
Eight agents and managers assigned to the southern border spoke with the Washington Examiner on the condition of anonymity about their experiences working during the largest migration event in U.S. history. The physical workload has been brutal, as has the change in policies from President Donald Trump to Joe Biden. But the biggest factor in the demoralization of the Border Patrol has been the feeling that Biden has demonized agents for enforcing immigration laws that lawmakers like him passed in Congress.
Border Patrol agents were deemed the heroes of the Uvalde school massacre in Texas after they ran into the gunfire and fatally shot the Robb Elementary School gunman while local law enforcement refused to act. Despite this, agents said Biden has yet to thank them for stepping in, even though Biden was quick to condemn them last September over reports that a mounted agent allegedly "whipped" a Haitian migrant trying to enter the United States from Mexico.
“Del Rio pissed us all off,” the first agent said. “Uvalde just adds to it. I think at this point, we are beyond pissed. We expect Biden to continue to attack us. Making a concerted effort to ignore what we did is expected.”
A second agent said the administration's response, as well as the lack of a conclusion in the investigation into the Border Patrol whipping incident, have been a "major morale killer," more so than their workload.
"All they have done is basically stomped on us from the get-go. And they've condemned us on every turn," the second agent said. "People are pretty much fed up with how this administration is treating Border Patrol agents because all we've been doing this whole time is what they've told us to do, which is really bad policy."
Since Biden took office in January 2021, the number of noncitizens apprehended attempting to sneak into the country or denied admission at a port of entry has increased threefold, topping 200,000 encounters per month on numerous occasions. Conservatives have blamed the record-high numbers on Biden's decision to reverse policies put forward by the Trump administration, while Democrats have pointed to tanking pandemic economies across Latin America as having prompted millions to flee for the U.S. and other countries.
More than 2 million migrants were stopped while attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico illegally in the calendar year 2021, an astronomical figure. Of the 2 million, roughly 1.1 million were immediately expelled back to Mexico or flown to other countries. Some attempted crossing multiple times, inflating the numbers. But nearly 800,000 were released into the U.S...............
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/border-patrol-cannot-see-path-forward-under-biden
