DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been invited as a guest speaker to the 15th Annual Border Patrol Foundation Recognition Dinner in Washington, D.C., on October 27. The event is held specifically to honor fallen Border Patrol agents and to raise funds.
The invitation of Mayorkas to speak in honor of fallen border agents is causing consternation amongst rank-and-file Border Patrol agents who see the invitation as a direct slap in the face considering the Secretary’s management of the current border crisis.
The Border Patrol Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides support to surviving family members of Border Patrol agents killed in the line of duty or who suffer severe hardship. The foundation provides immediate funds upon death notification intended to assist the survivors of fallen agents during their time of hardship. The organization also provides college scholarships to surviving children.
Breitbart Texas spoke to current and retired Border Patrol agents who recognize the work of the organization as crucial to the families of the fallen but believe the selection of Mayorkas as the guest speaker at the event is a poor choice.
Current Border Patrol agents are not authorized to speak to the media and cannot be identified by name — in essence precluding them from having their voices publicly heard. Breitbart Texas spoke to Mark A. Morgan, former Chief of the United States Border Patrol and later Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection who said he has also received complaints about the invitation of the Secretary to speak at the event.
Morgan provided the following statement in the matter:
The Border Patrol Foundation has a long history of supporting families of fallen agents-a noble and worthy cause, which will always have my support. Full Stop. Unfortunately, while I was Acting Commissioner of CBP we laid to rest more than one fallen agent. The hardest duty of any job I’ve ever had was kneeling before an agent’s spouse and handing them a flag “on behalf of a grateful nation for their dedicated service”.
The Border Patrol Foundation was there every step of the way. Getting much needed financial assistance in the hands of grieving families much sooner than the federal government ever could. However, the decision of the Border Patrol Foundation to invite Secretary Mayorkas to their annual DC dinner to honor those fallen agents and their families is seen by many agents as insulting. I agree.
The Secretary has served as this administration’s chief architect of their open border policies, resulting in the worst border security crisis in our lifetime. He has repeatedly lied to the American people; abdicated his oath of office; abused his authority; refused to enforce the law; and most important of all-he has dishonored the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol.
While I understand the importance of an organization like the Border Patrol Foundation to refrain from what could be perceived as politics, that concern can often lead to a faulty binary choice. By not inviting Secretary Mayorkas to the dinner is not playing politics, it is simply sending a strong message to the entire Border Patrol family-we hear you.
To acknowledge we are in uncharted waters and many of you are hurting, are demoralized, and feel his presence would only bring dishonor to those fighting every day defending our nation’s border. Even if the numbers of agents are small who feel betrayed by this decision, shouldn’t that take priority over the small numbers who may think you are playing politics?
The National Border Patrol Council, representing the rank and file within the agency has expressed harsh criticism of the Secretary’s handling of the border crisis publicly. In a September 25 posting on X, (formerly Twitter), the council posted, “A national disgrace, the likes of which DHS has never seen before, and hopefully will never see again”.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, under the direction of Mayorkas, the Border Patrol experienced the highest-ever level of Border Patrol line of duty deaths in 2021. A total of 15 Border Patrol Agents died in the line of duty throughout the year. The leading cause of death for agents during 2021 was COVID-19. Line-of-duty deaths in the Border Patrol increased by 275% compared to 2020.
With Mayorkas at the helm of DHS, the cancellation of swift removals for unaccompanied migrant children and migrant family units with tender age children under the Title 42 COVID-19 authority, Border Patrol agents found themselves processing migrants in overcrowded facilities at a time when the pandemic was in full swing.
As a result of the administration’s exemption on returns for a significant number of migrants under the authority, most Border Patrol facilities and processing centers routinely exceeded recommended COVID-19 capacity levels throughout the year. Some were more than eight times the recommended COVID-19 detention levels.
In 2022, the Border Patrol experienced a total of 17 suicides within their ranks — exceeded more than any other year. According to Chris Cabrera, who provided testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security held in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, the current border crisis is taking it’s toll on the agents morale.
Cabrera told the committee, “Morale is significantly down, our agents are frustrated that we’re babysitters,” a common complaint of Border Patrol agents relegated to process and provide humanitarian care for the thousands of migrants entering the United States daily, a total that includes hundreds of unaccompanied toddlers and infants. When speaking about the total number of suicides experienced by the agency in 2022, Cabrera emphasized “To put that in perspective, the New York Police Department is 35,000 officers, they lost four.”
On another front, Border Patrol agents expressed to Breitbart Texas their anger and frustration over the Secretary’s handling of allegations that the agency’s mounted horse patrol unit may have whipped Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas, in September 2021. As reported by Breitbart Texas, hours before attending a White House press conference in which Border Patrol agents were excoriated by President Joe Biden for allegedly whipping Haitian migrants from horseback, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was advised the allegations were challenged by the primary witness and made no effort to mitigate the false narrative being promoted by the administration.
The displeasure with the Secretary’s handling of border policy by the rank-and-file Border Patrol agents was captured during a meeting where one Border Patrol agent turned his back on Mayorkas in a sign of protest. Others in the group lodged their grievances in a terse verbal exchange with Mayorkas and then Chief of the Border Patrol Raul Ortiz. The exchange was captured on video and leaked to the press in 2022.
Founded in 2009, the Border Patrol Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization incorporated in the State of Arizona. The organization has traditionally invited DHS leadership to address the annual recognition dinner. Mayorkas has addressed attendees to the event via video conferencing but will make his first in-person appearance as guest speaker this year.
According to the foundation’s website, as of September 2023, more than $1.9 million in financial assistance to Border Patrol families has been provided. In addition, nearly $714 thousand has been awarded in scholarships.
The annual recognition dinner is a $650 per seat event for non-government attendees that offers $150 seating for current government employees. Chief Level Corporate sponsorship for recognition at the event is $30,000. This year’s Chief-level sponsors for the dinner include current and former federal government contract winners Anduril Industries, Elbit Systems, and SAIC.
Breitbart Texas reached out to the Border Patrol Foundation for comment on the issue and spoke to Rowdy Adams, retired Border Patrol Executive and President of the foundation. Adams says the foundation’s sole purpose is to support Border Patrol agents and support personnel during their time of need. The foundation provides funding for on and off duty employee deaths and offers support to surviving relatives.
Adams further explained the precedent held by the foundation to invite the Border Patrol’s chain of command which includes the Secretary of Homeland Security. The foundation, according to Adams, has done so consistently since 2009. According to Adams, the foundation does not consider the political party affiliation or policy position of the secretary when issuing the invitation to the annual recognition dinner as a matter of practice.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
