By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Newly-minted U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said he will focus his efforts on making sure the men and women of his agency have the tools they need to do their job – securing the U.S. border.
Ortiz made his comments during the 2021 State of the Border event, held Thursday at the Del Rio Civic Center.
Ortiz, who only hours before the event had been notified that he had been appointed the 25th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol and who formerly served as the chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol’s Del Rio Sector, told those attending the event, “When I left this sector 16 months ago, it wasn’t the second-busiest place in the country. It is now, and Chief Skero and the men and women of Del Rio (Sector) are doing it with 1,500 agents. He should have about 2,500 agents, and I’m going to do everything I can to push for more personnel down in south Texas and into Del Rio. I think it’s important.”
Ortiz said securing the border would involve a multi-pronged approach.
“We’re not going to fix it with just infrastructure. We’re not going to fix it with just technology. We’re certainly going to have to have a combination of those two things, but the most important recipe for success is making sure we have the right people who wear this uniform out there supporting our communities,” he added.
Ortiz then presented a series of slides with information and statistics on the current border situation.
“I think it’s important for people to recognize that we’ve seen surges throughout my 30-year career (in the Border Patrol). I’ve been assigned to south Texas, California, Arizona; even here, back in 2005 and 2006, we were busy, and we did some things to adjust to that traffic,” he said.
Ortiz said the number of countries from which the current surges of immigrants originate make the current situation more complex than any in recent memory. Other complicating factors include the increased numbers of family units and unaccompanied minor children.
Ortiz also assured those present that the Border Patrol maintains a presence in many other nations around the world and is aware of immigrants traveling from “special interest” countries long before they reach U.S. borders.
“We have a security program that we run internationally, and so we’re monitoring them, their movements. So I’m not trying to tell you that there’s not a risk out there, because there is. But I’ll also tell you that we’re doing everything we can to address those issues,” Ortiz said.
The chief spoke about the Border Patrol’s mission to secure the border and noted the mandate includes a variety of issues other than illegal immigration, including narcotics, weapons and money trafficking.
He spoke about the work done by Border Patrol agents and said over the last decade the agency has had to do more with fewer personnel.
Ortiz also spoke about his vision for the future.
“So, people ask me, what do you do as the deputy chief, and now the chief of the Border Patrol? What are you going to do to make a difference? One, I’m going to invest in people. I’m going to make sure I have the best leadership team in the country. I’m going to make sure I give our Border Patrol agents the best equipment and the best training and the best support. I’m also going to make sure they have the best technology,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said his strategy would also include “organizational excellence and stakeholder engagement.”
“I’m going to be able to influence policies and decisions at the national level that represent each and every one of you all. I promise you, as I sit here, and as the newly-appointed chief of the Border Patrol, I’m going to bust my butt. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that your priorities are considered in every decision that’s made in Washington, D.C. and that we’re going to turn that into progress,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said the plan he is developing with his team in Washington, D.C., will “include sending some people back south and include speeding up the process so we’re not bogged down in these communities.”
“It will include better relationship and coordination with these other agencies. It can’t just be a Border Patrol issue, or it can’t just be a Del Rio issue. San Antonio has a stake in this, Houston, Dallas, Nebraska, Iowa. Every community is a border community. I told a sheriff the other day, this isn’t just an RGV (Rio Grande Valley), south Texas problem or an El Paso problem, this is a problem for the whole country, and if we don’t look at it that way, we’re certainly going to lose perspective,” Ortiz said.
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