Posted on 03/16/2023 7:58:48 AM PDT by Red Badger
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz testified to Congress on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security does not have operational control of the U.S. southern border under President Joe Biden, a claim that is directly at odds with a statement from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Ortiz made the remarks during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in McAllen, Texas, in response to a question from Chairman Mark Green about security on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Does DHS have operational control of our entire border?” Green asked.
“No sir,” Ortiz responded.
Behind Green was a poster board that showed that “operational control,” as defined by U.S. law, is “the prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics and other contraband.”
Green then played a video during the hearing showing Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) question Mayorkas last year over whether the U.S. had operational control of the southern border. “Yes, we do,” Mayorkas claimed. “Yes, we do.”
Green then asked Ortiz whether he thought Mayorkas was lying, to which Ortiz responded by saying that operational control used to be how officials measured whether or not they were being successful. He said that now their new strategy was “geared towards mission advantage.”
Ortiz again confirmed that DHS does not have operational control of the southern border, but, when pressed over whether Mayorkas was lying, Ortiz politely tried to sidestep the question in an apparent effort to not say anything negative about his boss.
The hearing comes as the administration has seen a historic flood of millions of illegal immigrants pouring into the U.S. under its watch which is largely occurring because Biden’s policies are acting as magnets for the migrants and cartel smugglers.
The New York Times reported last year that the Mexican drug cartels went from making $500 million a year from human smuggling in 2018 to making $13 billion from human smuggling in 2022, a 2,500% increase.
The frustrating part is that it doesn’t matter. The public won’t know, and even if they hear of it, it will be branded as Fox propaganda.
He’ll be looking for work soon. And he’ll be audited for the last 15 years.
Has Raul Ortiz been relieved of duty yet along with the Border patrol agents who formed a riot control blockade stopping the rush as one of the bridges in El Paso?
Anything that pisses off conservatives is fine with a majority in this country. That’s where we stand.
Methinks Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz will soon be providing border protection from a small, unheated shed in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz tells the truth - others are speaking the truth too.
The WORD IS getting through to the American people...
The only people who believe Biden are his goon,thugs and the bimbos and pretentious ‘men’ of the New York Times and Washington Post.
To heck with bucking him. He needs to kick Mayorkas’ goatsmellin’ ass. Mayorkas has imported more illegals into our home than all of the “coyotes” and cartels put together. The bass turd needs to be in prison for doing nothing to get a Federal government “stimulus” check every two weeks. They still can’t stimululate the worthless slob to do his yob.
Rocket laden Drones must be deployed to destroy Cartel homes and all there at the time. There isw a war with cartels that can be won only by killing them
Mexico as a sovereign is irrelevant and need not be consulted.
“Anything that pisses off conservatives is fine with a majority in this country. That’s where we stand.”
Couldn’t agree more.
Let’s hear it for Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz.
The Border Patrol’s official moto is ‘Honor First’.
The unofficial moto is:
Ride Great
Shoot Strait
Speak the Truth
The Chief has kept the faith with his troops at great personal cost. A very uncommon display of something called leadership in DC.
I watched it. He was ever soooooo careful to cover/protect his own ass, that bucking DHS Secretary Mayorkas was hardly what he did.
“Brave” is not a word I would associate with this guy.
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz is a bureaucrat/professional testifier at committee hearings.
He is a PRO at playing the game. Whenever he gave an answer that agreed with the Republicans it was usually “yes” or “no” no explanation.
This was to minimize the damage to his career. A real PRO. (at testifying).
Not exactly Nathan Hale.
“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Sometimes you reach a time in your career when you have to decide to kiss the bosses tail and sell your soul OR maintain your dignity and credibility and tell the truth. I think a lot of the military brass and the rank and file inside the FBI chose the first path. This man chose the latter, good for him.
I was glad to see that someone in the know, someone in a position of authority, is telling the truth about the border, finally.
You are so right. We need our military on the border, not only to protect it, but to teach the cartels and the President of Mexico a huge lesson- he says the fentanyl coming into our country from Mexico is OUR responsibility, not his?
Well, it certainly is his responsibility! Ours, too because of the non-existent border, but it most certainly IS his as well.
The cartels are either paying him, or are threatening him. Or both.
The President of Mexico has become irrelevant, a vassal of the Cartels. He can be ignored while the cartels are bsing eradicated, man, woman and regrettably child.
Chief Ortiz isn’t the boss. He’s just the guy that knows what’s really going on.
And they damned well know it. Witness their rapid turning over of those cartel members responsible for the recent kidnapping of the American tourists visiting Mexico (from North Carolina, IIRC).
Indeed.
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