On November 26, 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol chief posted an apology for shelving the agency’s social media account, citing the ongoing migrant surge and its “unprecedented flow,” necessitating all personnel to staff the frontlines.
The sudden announcement to shutter the federal agency’s social media accounts that provide imagery and statistics regarding the invasion at the southern border was met with rebuke from American citizens, underscoring “transparency” and the right to know details about dubious immigration policies set forth by the White House administration.
Here is what the Border Patrol chief published, including comments from unhappy, taxpaying citizens:
“Apologies for my earlier hastily written statement. To be clear, it is my intention to remain transparent.
“In light of the ongoing migration surge, all Tucson Sector Border Patrol social media accounts will be temporarily reduced to maximize our available staffing in support of our current operational challenges.
“At this time, all available personnel are needed to address the unprecedented flow. The social media team will return once the situation permits.
“We will continue to post our Week in Review statistics, demonstrating the continued efforts of our agents and staff.”
Reading between the lines, it’s possible that someone whose last name rhymes with “New Yorkers,” and supposedly oversees our nation’s Homeland Security…may have pulled a string, tightly. Can’t imagine why if…
That’s right…the Department of Homeland Security figurehead testified before Congress that “The border is secure!” If that is the case, why are agents assigned to the Border Patrol’s social media team being entrenched on the southern frontlines?
Given the obscured brand of transparency commonly employed in politics, one can be confident that social media accounts depicting southern border imagery and accounting of reprehensible stats, chronically denoting a country overrun by illegal immigrants, became too uncomfortable for the current White House occupation.
Or maybe the Border Patrol is factually shorthanded. The way they have been mistreated and misused may have something to do with it…besides the grueling nature of the tedious job performed in unforgiving climates and treacherous swaths of rugged terrain.
Either way, it does not bode well for the rampancy of border breaches and coffined transparency.
As you can see in the photograph above (recorded June-ish 2023), Border Patrol agents nabbed an illegal migrant and are conducting an inherent investigation, documenting their duties for inclusion in a report. The kind of imagery and data taxpaying American citizens deserve to be aware of.
One among many just like it, a commenter put it this way: “Unprecedented surges are exactly when [and why] the public needs to be informed.”
“This isn’t strategic communications. During a crisis or surge is when you should be providing the public as much information as possible. Horrible, short-sighted decision,” wrote another citizen.
From a law enforcement officer’s standpoint, recording and reporting police activities is a prideful ingredient in the profession that can easily snuff out the lives of cops and the citizens they serve and protect.
Any “major case” I initiated or was involved in unfailingly delivered a hefty dose of dopamine and reassured my love for The Job. The principles of police work can be painstakingly hit and miss. But when it manifests in huge catches and gobs of confiscated contraband, the notion of preventing lives from ingesting poisons is paramount and galvanizes the police officer’s oath.
With that said, I have no doubt the move to quash social media reports of border activities is likely a political blindfold and not necessarily the desire of federal agents fighting the good fight on the frontlines.
(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Border Patrol.)
Who wouldn’t want their best work exhibited?
(Photo courtesy of the US Border Patrol.)
Incidentally, this photograph depicts what appears to be adult suspects’ faces blurred. By order of the federal government?
I went digging for the U.S. Border Patrol’s policies about social media use. The first thing that popped up was material published by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, under the banner, “Biden Directs Border Patrol to Use Illegal Aliens’ Preferred Pronouns” with its intro as follows: “We just obtained Customs and Border Protection documents directing personnel to only use woke language when encountering individuals invading the United States.”
Fox News picked up on the saga and reported on statements made by Oversight Project Director Mike Howell: “Border Patrol deals with more illegal aliens than any entity in the federal government. This forced language guidance is designed to coddle illegal aliens.”
Surprised?
Bad Habits
There is something to say about a nation’s political arm that prefers citizens are blind to atrocious invasions at taxpayers’ expense.
A report in March 2021 cited the Biden administration as “restricting the information Border Patrol agents and sector chiefs can share with the media as a surge of migrants tests the agency’s capacity at the southern border, according to four current and two former Customs and Border Protection officials,” referring to the censorship as a “gag order.”
The border is secure…nothing to see here…
Except the need for all CBP agents to perch at the southern border for mass processing of tsunami proportions of illegal aliens booting their way onto US soil.
The administration is aware…well aware. Just ask the Border Hawk whose social media is showing what transparency looks like.