Share
Commentary

Report: Chief of Border Patrol Says No Way to Biden, Will Not Endorse Ban on Using 'Alien'

Share

Instead of focusing on the border crisis fueled by his own policies, President Joe Biden has spent his time attempting to ban certain language related to the crisis. However, a new report suggests U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott is standing up to him.

According to Breitbart, Biden issued a policy change prohibiting both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using terms including “alien,” “unaccompanied alien children,” “undocumented alien,” “illegal alien,” and “assimilation” in any communication.

Instead, the policy, which went into effect on April 19, mandated the use of the terms “noncitizen,” “noncitizen unaccompanied children,” “undocumented noncitizen,” and “civic integration.”

This policy change is absurd for multiple reasons. First, the fact that Biden has chosen to focus on banning language instead of fixing the actual border emergency he helped create is completely nonsensical.

According to The New York Times, the number of migrant children arriving in Mexico in an attempt to enter the United States increased by over 900 percent between January and March of 2021.

Trending:
Fani Willis Throws a Tantrum to Jim Jordan as Contempt Deadline Arrives

“The number of migrant children reported in Mexico rose to 3,500 at the end of March from 380 at the start of the year, according to the Children’s Fund, or UNICEF,” The Times reported.

“The number includes data from Mexico’s National Migration Institute and other official sources, and provides a detailed look into the crisis.”

That has led to deteriorating conditions for children being held at the border, an issue Democrats seemed deeply concerned with during the Trump administration. That concern has mysteriously disappeared while their party occupies the White House.

Biden and his administration have continually downplayed the situation at the border as they ignore the facts of the situation.

Should U.S. agencies continue to use the word 'alien'?

It’s clear Biden wants to politicize the border crisis, which brings us to the second problem with the policy banning words like “alien.”

According to Breitbart, Scott said the U.S. Border Patrol Agency has always been an apolitical agency, and maintained it needs to stay that way. In his estimation, the new policy change threatens that apolitical stance.

“This memorandum serves as my official nonconcurrence to the proposed updated terminology for U.S. Customs and Border Protection communications and materials. I will not undermine this effort; however, I cannot endorse it,” he said in the memo obtained by Breitbart Texas.

“Despite every attempt by USBP leadership to ensure that all official messaging remained consistent with law, fact, and evidence, there is no doubt that the reputation of the USBP has suffered because of the many outside voices,” he continued.

“Mandating the use of terms which are inconsistent with law has the potential to further erode public trust in our government institutions.”

Related:
Illegal Immigrant Who Was Deported Under Trump Arrested in Murder of 25-Year-Old Woman

Scott’s April 16 memo was addressed to Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller. Scott advised Miller not to enforce the changes “until the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 is enacted.”

In other words, Scott is not going to cave to pressure from Biden to endorse something that is not backed by law. Until the law actually changes, “alien” is a legally defined term under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Breitbart said that even though the policy went into effect on April 19, it “will not … impact official reports and legal documents that must contain the terms codified in the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

This policy change is a useless partisan proposal. If Biden really wanted to work together to fix the border crisis, he has plenty of avenues to explore.

For example, The Texas Tribune reported Thursday that Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Democratic Sen. Krysten Sinema of Arizona introduced a bipartisan bill in the Senate aimed at addressing the border crisis by establishing four new migrant processing centers.

“Other provisions would include expanding and improving legal and translating services in asylum cases, focusing on protections for unaccompanied children to eliminate placement with sex offenders and child abusers, and increasing the number of judges, asylum officers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff, and Customs and Border Patrol workers near the border,” The Tribune reported.

This legislation presents actual solutions that could at the very least be a starting point for Democrats and Republicans to work together toward some sort of solution.

Sadly, as of now, it appears the Biden administration has much more interest in banning terms than they do addressing the real problems at the southern border.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , , , , ,
Share
Grant is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports.
Grant is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports.




Conversation