OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The head of the U.S. Border Patrol union dropped a bombshell revelation on the Biden administration Friday when he indicated that agents working along the Texas-Mexico border were not necessarily in favor of the White House’s tactics.
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told the Daily Caller News Foundation that agents “absolutely” did not want to cut razor wire set up by Texas National Guard and law enforcement personnel to prevent illegal entry into the state and the country.
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing federal authorities to dismantle the wire barriers erected by Texas along the southern border. Despite this decision, Texas is proceeding to install additional wire barriers in Eagle Pass, Texas, specifically at Shelby Park, a site it assumed control of earlier this month. Border Patrol agents are largely supportive of Texas’ initiatives, as confirmed by several rank-and-file agents who spoke with the DCNF recently.
“Agents absolutely do not want to cut the razor wire, but we have an obligation to follow a legal order,” Judd told the DCNF. “We will continue to put as much pressure on the admin to fix the crisis as we can. That will not change.”
On January 14, the Biden administration sent a letter to Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton, requesting that Texas withdraw from its position at Shelby Park by January 17, as reported by CNN. In response, Paxton affirmed that Texas would maintain its presence at the location.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a letter to Paxton Tuesday urging him to allow Border Patrol full access to Shelby Park.
The Biden administration initially asserted that state authorities had hindered border agents from aiding three drowning migrants in the Rio Grande. However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) later acknowledged in a court filing that state authorities had not been informed until after the tragic drownings had taken place.
Judd said that the union was attempting to force President Joe Biden to act to ensure the border is secure via a “public pressure” campaign.
“Public pressure is the only pressure that works. We’re the ones who have been out in front of the issue since day one. We took the largest contingent of U.S. Senators ever to the border, and my job is to continue to tell the truth and try to foster public conversation,” Judd told the DCNF. “There are a lot of others, including those in the media, that are trying to give the public all the facts to allow them to make informed decisions based [on] complete information.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week ordered state authorities and National Guard troops to seize the city park, which serves as a key infiltration point for migrants entering the country illegally, while also blocking Border Patrol agents from the area.
In addition to Guard troops, Abbott, a Republican who has been feuding with the administration for the past three years over policies enacted by Biden that many believe created the current border crisis, also ordered Texas Department of Public Safety officers and other law enforcement officials to assist, according to a statement Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin obtained from the Texas Military Department.
“The Texas National Guard has maintained a presence with security points and temporary barrier in Shelby Park since 2021. The current posture is to prepare for future illegal immigrant surges and to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area,” the department said.
“Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS troopers, and more barriers, utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden’s ongoing border crisis,” Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze told the New York Post.
Border Patrol officials actually praised the initiative. The agency’s union said in a statement that Abbott “is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them. His seizing control of Shelby Park allows our agents to deploy to troubled spots that experience high numbers of gotaways. Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier.”
