A candidate for the 19th Congressional District of Texas has pledged to sit down with Border Patrol agents and the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) and give them a voice in the shaping of border security policy for the United States.
Lubbock Mayor Glen Robertson, who is currently in a runoff race for the Texas CD-19 seat in the Texas Panhandle, announced in a radio ad that he will “sit down with our Border Patrol agents and the Border Patrol Council and provide them with the tools and support necessary to do their jobs.”
The NBPC has been the only voice for nearly 17,000 Border Patrol agents. The organization has served as the only advocacy and defense mechanism for the needs and interests of agents against overwhelming attacks from political groups and special interests opposing a secured border.
“Illegal aliens pour across our borders at will and our Border Patrol and law enforcement agencies have had their hands tied by politicians who haven’t been within a thousand miles of the border,” Robertson said in the ad. “I will listen to them and take action.”
In March, Breitbart Texas reported on a press conference held by Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu where he claimed the Obama Administration had handcuffed law enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents. “What we see from this administration is an actual reduction at a time we should be providing more support to secure our border,” Pinal County Sheriff Babeu said during the press conference.
In that instance, NBPC President Brandon Judd agreed saying that Border Patrol Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske had “raised the white flag of surrender by declaring a ‘new normal.’” He continued saying, “The Border Patrol is built to enforce the law. But administration appointees aren’t built that way.”
Robertson’s pledge echoes that of GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump who recently committed to giving Border Patrol agents and the NBPC a seat at the table in developing border security plans. Appearing on Breitbart News Daily (Sirius XM Patriot 125) on March 23, Trump’s senior policy advisor, Stephen Miller, said Border Patrol Agents will have a “direct line” to the White House if Donald Trump becomes president.
“I am here today to say that we are going to work closely, directly, and intimately with the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) to develop a border policy for this nation,” Miller told Breitbart Texas managing director Brandon Darby during the radio broadcast. “The NBPC will never again have a back seat in our nation’s border policy.”
“We understand the importance of a law enforcement union. It’s the only voice for the agents,” Miller said responding to a question from Darby. “It’s the only voice to learn the truth. It’s the only way to know what’s really happening. It’s the only way agents can protect themselves from political appointees and special interests.”
On March 30, the National Border Patrol Council took an unprecedented step of endorsing Donald Trump to be the next American president. “The NBPC has had a longstanding practice of not endorsing presidential candidates in the primaries,” NBPC President Brandon Judd wrote in the NBPC statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. We will not, however, shy away from voicing our opinions as it pertains to border security and the men and women of the United States Border Patrol. As such, we are breaking with our past practice and giving our first-ever endorsement in a presidential primary. We think it is that important: if we do not secure our borders, American communities will continue to suffer at the hands of gangs, cartels and violent criminals preying on the innocent. The lives and security of the American people are at stake, and the National Border Patrol Council will not sit on the sidelines.”
“We need a person in the White House who doesn’t fear the media, who doesn’t embrace political correctness, who doesn’t need the money, who is familiar with success, who won’t bow to foreign dictators, who is pro-military and values law enforcement, and who is angry for America and NOT subservient to the interests of other nations,” Judd continued. “Donald Trump is such a man.”
The Texas CD-19 district covers the southern portion of the Texas Panhandle from just west of Fort Worth through Abilene and Lubbock, west to the New Mexico border. The district represents the people of 27 full counties and 2 other partial counties. The seat is currently held by Randy Neugebauer who is not seeking re-election.
Robertson’s pledge to work closely with the NBPC and the boots on the ground Border Patrol agents shows a growing trend of candidates wanting to find real solutions for border security that come directly from the people who know the terrain the very best, the actual agents who risk their lives patrolling this nation’s borders.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.