Immigration hardliner Mark Morgan to lead Customs and Border Protection

HOMELAND SECURITY SHUFFLE

Report: Immigration hardliner Mark Morgan to lead Customs and Border Protection

6:46 p.m.

https://images.theweek.com/sites/def...resize=360x360
Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Mark Morgan, an immigration hardliner and acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will soon lead Customs and Border Protection, Trump administration officials told The New York Times on Tuesday.

Morgan is replacing Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner John Sanders, who will step down in July. This is just the latest shakeup in the Department of Homeland Security, with Sanders only moving into the position two months ago. In a message to staffers, Sanders said he will "leave it to you to determine whether I was successful," and can "unequivocally say that helping support the amazing men and women of CBP has been the most fulfilling and satisfying opportunity of my career."

As head of CBP, Morgan will be responsible for processing families as they seek asylum. He has made several appearances on Fox News, praising Trump for his aggressive immigration policies, and thinks there should be more raids on undocumented migrants, the Times reports. Catherine Garcia

https://theweek.com/speedreads/84921...der-protection

Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner John Sanders resigns

Mark Morgan is not an immigration hardliner.. he is an Obama appointee Democrat who supports Amnesty for illegal aliens that the Border Patrol union called a disgrace to America.

The Week is lying to Americans with this false headline.

Mark Morgan: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

• By Brendan Morrow
• Updated Jan 26, 2017 at 6:52pm

https://heavyeditorial.files.wordpre...ll&w=780&h=585Mark Morgan testifies at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on November 30, 2016. (Getty)

One day after President Donald Trump ordered the construction of a wall along the southern border of the United States, the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol has left the agency.

Morgan’s departure was reported by news outlets on Thursday morning and was later confirmed by U.S. Border Patrol.

“On behalf of the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol, I want to thank Mark Morgan for his unwavering dedication to our border security mission, and recognize his life-long career in service to the nation,” Kevin K. McAleenan, acting commissioner, said in a statement. “Mark Morgan’s career spans more than 31 years of faithful service to the nation, including service in the U.S. Marine Corps, as a local deputy sheriff and police officer, 20 years in the FBI, as Assistant Commissioner of CBP’s Office of Internal Affairs, and, finally, as Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Mark Morgan, the former U.S. Border Patrol chief.

---

1. He Is a 20-Year Veteran of the FBI

https://heavyeditorial.files.wordpre...ll&w=780&h=520A U.S. Border Patrol agent scans the U.S.-Mexico border on October 3, 2016 in Sunland Park, New Mexico. (Getty)

Before coming to U.S. Border Patrol, Mark Morgan was a sheriff in Platte County, Missouri and then an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to Morgan’s bio on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website, Morgan then began a career at the FBI as a special agent in 1996, working in the Los Angeles Field Office. In 2008, he served as deputy-on-scene in Iraq and was responsible for FBI personnel and operations in the Counterterrorism Division in Baghdad.

In 2009, he became special agent in charge of the FBI’s El Paso Division, where he lead counterterrorism efforts, and in 2013, he became deputy assistant director of the Inspection Division.

Morgan started with Customs and Border Protection in 2014, when he served as the acting assistant commissioner and helped redesign the organization’s Use of Force Incident Response protocols. He also launched a unit responsible for investigating administrative misconduct. Finally, in 2015, Morgan became assistant director of the FBI’s Training Division in Quantico, Virginia.

---

2. He Was the First Outsider to Lead the Border Patrol Agency

https://heavyeditorial.files.wordpre...ll&w=780&h=511Border Patrol agents patrol the United States-Mexico Border on November 19, 2016. (Getty)

Mark Morgan was appointed chief of the U.S. Border Patrol agency in June 2016, and this decision was not without controversy.

According to CBS, Morgan was the first outsider to lead the Border Patrol agency since its inception in 1924, and the Border Patrol’s union opposed his appointment, wanting someone within the agency to be chief.

This union, the National Border Patrol Council, formally endorsed Donald Trump for president during the 2016 election. Trump often incorrectly stated that the agency itself had endorsed him rather than a union.

“Mr. Trump will take on special interests and embrace the ideas of rank-and-file Border Patrol agents rather than listening to the management yes-men who say whatever they are programmed to say,” the National Border Patrol Council said in a statement upon endorsing Trump. “This is a refreshing change that we have not seen before – and may never see again.”

---

3. He Testified in Front of Congress and Advocated for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

https://heavyeditorial.files.wordpre...ll&w=780&h=531Mark Morgan testifies at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on November 30, 2016. (Getty)

In November, Mark Morgan testified before Congress and angered some within the Border Patrol’s union when he said he was in favor of comprehensive immigration reform.

During the hearing, Morgan said, “I think [comprehensive immigration reform] is definitely needed and we fully support that.”
The National Border Patrol Council criticized Morgan for his remarks to Congress.

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images...LiM_normal.pngNBPC 2544@NBPC2544


Morgan is on record agreeing with everything Senator Carper says, basically a new amnesty program

1:21 PM - Nov 30, 2016
Twitter Ads info and privacy

See NBPC 2544's other Tweets

Morgan issued a statement in response clarifying his position and saying he does not support blanket amnesty.

“I want to be clear what my position is regarding immigration reform,” he said. “I do not, as some have suggested, support what is often referred to as ‘blanket amnesty.’ This assertion could not be further from my position. I encourage everyone to listen to my testimony.”

---

4. The National Border Patrol Council Called Him a ‘Disgrace’

https://heavyeditorial.files.wordpre...ll&w=780&h=520U.S. Border Patrol agents patrol the Colorado River on November 17, 2016 in Andrade, California. (Getty)

In November 2016, the executive board of the National Border Patrol Council said in an op-ed for the conservative website Breitbart that Mark Morgan is a “disgrace,” in particular pointing to his testimony in front of Congress in which he advocated for some sort of immigration reform.

“Chief Morgan, the head of the Office of Border Patrol who by law is supposed to stay politically neutral, and who is not supposed to advocate for partisan legislation, agreed with Senator Carper by stating that the Border Patrol supports comprehensive immigration reform,” they wrote. “This is directly contrary to the voice and will of the vast majority of the Republicans elected to Congress. It is also directly contrary to President-elect Trump’s comments while on the campaign trail.”

The op-ed goes on to say that Morgan’s position is “tenuous at best” and that he “does not have the will necessary to secure the border for the citizens and legal residents of this country.”

---

5. He Was Reportedly Asked to Step Down

https://heavyeditorial.files.wordpre...ll&w=780&h=574Donald Trump signs an executive order to start the Mexico border wall project at the Department of Homeland Security facility in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2017. (Getty)

It was not initially clear today whether Morgan quit the position or was asked to leave, but ABC News is now reporting that it was the latter; Morgan reportedly held a video call with Border Patrol agents today in which he said he was asked to leave and that he decided to step down rather than fight this request.

When President Donald Trump paid a visit on Wednesday to the Homeland Security Department, Morgan was reportedly not in attendance.

And during his speech, President Trump specifically thanked Brandon Judd, president of the union that called Mark Morgan a “disgrace,” but did not mention Morgan at all.
“Before we go any further, I want to recognize the ICE and border patrol officers in this room today, and to honor their service, and not just because they unanimously endorsed me for president,” Trump said at the top of his speech. “That helps, but that’s not the only reason.”

• Published Jan 26, 2017 at 3:15pm

https://heavy.com/news/2017/01/mark-...-donald-trump/

EXCLUSIVE — Border Patrol Agents: The Chief Obama Gave Us Is a Disgrace

Breitbart Texas/Brandon DarbyBRANDON DARBY & ILDEFONSO ORTIZ30 Nov 2016


https://media.breitbart.com/media/20...rm-640x480.png

548

Editor’s Note: This Op-Ed was exclusively provided to Breitbart Texas by the executive board of the National Border Patrol Council, the organization representing approximately 16,500 of our nation’s Border Patrol agents.

Approximately 6 months ago, CBP Commissioner Gil R. Kerlikowske officially announced the hiring (appointment) of Mark Morgan, one of the Obama Administration’s top risers within the FBI. Morgan is the same FBI Agent that a number of congressional offices believe “scrubbed” FBI training manuals of information that would have been damning to the agency and the Administration. Chief Morgan is a disgrace to the Border Patrol.

According to Commissioner Kerlikowske, the Border Patrol needed a culture change, so instead of hiring the most qualified applicant — the one that congress had confidence in and who had already started the culture change — the commissioner went outside the organization and “appointed” Mark Morgan. Morgan, who loves to flaunt his FBI credentials, was arrogant enough to push a great leader, manager, and citizen aside to feed his own ego and personal interest. In reality, and if his first 6 months are any indication, he is in over his head and doing nothing but running scared.

On September 13, 2016, House Committee on Homeland Security; Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security held a hearing entitled “Moving the Line of Scrimmage: Re-examining the Defense-in-Depth Strategy.” Chief Morgan and NBPC President Brandon Judd were asked to testify. Agent Judd was supposed to sit on the same panel as Chief Morgan, but CBP refused to make Morgan available unless he testified on his own panel. CBP and Morgan were worried Agent Judd would come off as more credible, knowledgeable, and polished. Morgan testified by himself and proved both his and CBP’s worries correct. He came off like a robot, stuck to the administration’s line, and refused to give meaningful answers.

Today, November 30, 2016, Morgan testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. During the question and answer session, Senator Carper, the ranking Democrat who has advocated for the legalization of all persons who are in this country illegally, stated that he believes the fix to the border security problem is comprehensive immigration reform. Chief Morgan, the head of the Office of Border Patrol who by law is supposed to stay politically neutral, and who is not supposed to advocate for partisan legislation, agreed with Senator Carper by stating that the Border Patrol supports comprehensive immigration reform. This is directly contrary to the voice and will of the vast majority of the Republicans elected to Congress. It is also directly contrary to President-elect Trump’s comments while on the campaign trail.

NBPC President Brandon Judd and his team worked diligently to set up a press conference after the hearing to discuss the merits of Morgan’s testimony. Agent Judd, however, was notified a few days ago that his appearance would be required to speak with an OPR Investigator as a witness regarding a matter of menial importance. This interview, which the agency refused to re-schedule ensured Agent Judd wouldn’t be able to be present at the hearing or the press conference. Morgan is worried because he knows that his comments attacking President-elect Trump’s border security policies prior to the election has him in hot water and his position as the Chief of the Border Patrol is tenuous at best. Because of such he did everything in his power to ensure Agent Judd was unable to be in DC when need be to dispute his testimony.

Morgan — a hand picked Obama Administration official — does not have the will necessary to secure the border for the citizens and legal residents of this country.

Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon and you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/201...e-us-disgrace/