Fmr. Border Patrol Chief: Agents Thrown Under the Bus with False Whip Claims, 'Political Differences' Between Trump, Biden Caused Stress

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” recently retired Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz stated that “the political differences of the previous administration and this administration, certainly, I think, put an awful lot of stress” on agents “when you think about morale out there on the men and women and having to watch some of our agents get bashed on social media outlets, TV, and different things.” Ortiz also said that the Horse Patrol Border Patrol agents were thrown under the bus when they were slapped with false accusations that they whipped migrants, but did praise DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Ortiz said that his tenure as Border Patrol head was “a tremendous challenge, not just for me, but for the men and women that represent the Border Patrol, our families that support those men and women as they’re out there on patrol. You think about just the tremendous flow that we experienced over the last couple of years and then, in a COVID pandemic environment, that put tremendous strain on our resources. And then, the political differences of the previous administration and this administration, certainly, I think, put an awful lot of stress, when you think about morale out there on the men and women and having to watch some of our agents get bashed on social media outlets, TV, and different things.”

Fox News National Correspondent Griff Jenkins then cut in to say, “The horse whipping.”

Ortiz responded, “The horse event in Del Rio, I will tell you, that is one of the events that I wish we could do it — have a do-over. I really do. I spent — a couple of weeks ago, I went and rode with those guys from Carrizo Springs and had a tremendous time, and what a great group of individuals and Border Patrol agents, and unfortunately, they got thrown under the bridge.”

Ortiz offered praise for DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by stating that “in my experience as a Chief and as an executive in this outfit, I haven’t seen a Secretary who’s been more supportive of the Border Patrol.”

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