The Senate confirmed Rodney S. Scott to serve as President Donald Trump’s Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). On Wednesday, 51 Republican Senators voted Scott into the position. Not a single Democrat voted to support the former Chief of the Border Patrol to head up CBP.
Scott previously served as the 24th Chief of the United States Border Patrol before retiring in 2021. His career in the border security agency spanned more than 29 years, beginning in 1992 in Imperial Beach, California, within the San Diego Border Patrol Sector. Scott rose through the ranks, serving in multiple Border Patrol Sectors, and served as the Chief Patrol Agent for the El Centro Sector. Scott was named Chief of the Border Patrol in 2020 and served in that capacity until his retirement.
Commissioner Scott becomes the first Border Patrol agent to enter the agency at the lowest rank (GS-5) and eventually rise through the ranks to lead the parent agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, then-President-Elect Trump announced Scott as his nominee to the post of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner in December. In a posting on the future President’s social media platform, Truth Social, Trump cited Scott’s vast experience in immigration policy and his previous service as the agency head for the United States Border Patrol under the previous Trump administration.
Trump announced his selection of Scott, saying, “Rodney served nearly three decades in the Border Patrol, building vast experience and knowledge in Law Enforcement and Border Security. Rodney served as the 24th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, where he implemented Remain-in-Mexico, Title 42, Safe Third Agreements, and achieved record low levels of illegal immigration.”
Scott, an extremely popular leader with rank-and-file Border Patrol agents, was instrumental in the development of immigration enforcement policies that drastically led to some of the lowest migrant crossing levels in the agency’s history. Chief Scott’s work was critical to the implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico,” which allowed CBP and ICE officers to return migrants from a host of different nations to Mexico as their asylum claims moved through the court system. The program was revolutionary and had never been tried before.
In addition, Scott worked to create and implement several novel agreements with the Central American Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras on Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) that allowed for the return of migrants who feared returning to their home country to other nearby participating nations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott also worked with Trump staff members on the Title 42 CDC emergency measure, which allowed immigration officers along the border to conduct the speedy return of border crossers to reduce the spread of infection.
According to CBP, the agency is the nation’s largest law enforcement organization and the world’s first unified border management agency. The more than 65,000 men and women employed by CBP work to secure America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas.
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 X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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