Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens is stepping down from his relation arsenic caput of the bureau – telling Fox News that his agents person fixed 100% successful hard conditions, including immoderate of the worst conditions he’s seen successful his full career.
Owens, who was promoted to Border Patrol Chief successful 2023, is retiring successful April. Texas Border Czar Mike Banks volition beryllium tapped to beryllium the adjacent chief.
Owens spoke to Fox News astir his clip arsenic main during immoderate of the astir aggravated moments of the situation astatine the confederate border. He said it was "bittersweet" due to the fact that it is the extremity of a section successful his life.
"But astatine the aforesaid time, it's a blessed 1 due to the fact that I consciousness similar I made my difference, and it's clip to manus it disconnected to the adjacent generation."
Fox asked him astir the surge successful borderline crossings his men and women dealt with – including the surge successful 2021 successful Del Rio and overwhelming numbers astatine Eagle Pass, Texas.
"I hadn't seen thing similar that. And it's that was arsenic atrocious arsenic I had seen it successful my full career. And astatine each moment, the men and women are trying to find a mode to instrumentality attraction of that truthful that they could get backmost retired determination connected patrol and support the atrocious actors from coming in," helium said.
He described however Border Patrol agents would spell from performing CPR connected babies to going aft a pack subordinate oregon convicted felon.
"That takes a toll connected anybody. And what I saw was those men and women woody with that not conscionable erstwhile successful a while, but regular and each azygous day. No substance however frustrated they got, they get up the adjacent morning, they enactment that azygous connected and they went retired determination and they springiness 100%. I owed them 100% arsenic well," helium said.
As for Banks, Owens said helium considers him a person and said that helium is "confident and optimistic astir our aboriginal with him astatine the helm."
"He loves the Border Patrol conscionable similar I do. And he's going to support his absorption connected the ngo of keeping this state harmless from harm," helium said.
Owens besides said helium has "never seen a concern wherever I would accidental the borderline is secure."
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"Because for me, a secure border means if thing atrocious tries to travel into this country, I'm going to beryllium capable to observe it and halt it. There's excessively galore gaps and vulnerabilities contiguous that inactive beryllium connected our border," helium said.
Outgoing DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas praised Owens successful a statement, saying helium "embodies the ethos of the United States Border Patrol – ‘Honor First.’
"Chief Owens has dedicated his beingness to nationalist service. Throughout his vocation successful the Border Patrol – from his archetypal duty astatine Calexico Station to his bid of the elite BORTAC portion successful El Paso, from his enactment of the USBP Academy to the Laredo Sector, Del Rio Sector, Washington, D.C., and galore work stations in-between – helium has ever stepped up and stepped successful whenever the challenges person been greatest, and wherever his talents person been astir needed. He roseate done the ranks of the Border Patrol by virtuousness of his bonzer enactment and his bravery, integrity, and decency," helium said.
"It is these qualities that made Chief Owens the champion and close idiosyncratic to pb the Border Patrol during an intensely hard time. I americium grateful that helium accepted the challenge, conscionable arsenic helium has accepted truthful galore others passim his distinguished instrumentality enforcement career. The Border Patrol, and the Department of Homeland Security, are stronger contiguous due to the fact that of Chief Owens," helium said.
The announcement comes days earlier President-elect Trump volition instrumentality office, and is expected to motorboat a wide deportation cognition arsenic good arsenic renewed efforts to ramp up borderline security. On Friday, Kristi Noem, Trump’s prime to pb the Department of Homeland Security, faced her confirmation hearing.
During that hearing, she besides pledged to unafraid the border, including promising to extremity the usage of the CBP One app and related parole programs introduced by the Biden administration.