Thread: Trump admin picks new Border Patrol chief

Trump admin picks new Border Patrol chief

01/31/17 07:53 PM EST



The Trump administration on Tuesday got its new Border Patrol chief, according to an announcement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan named Ron Vitiello as his replacement in a post on the agency’s Twitter account on Tuesday.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ron Vitiello as U.S. Border Patrol Chief,” McAleenan wrote.

The Associated Press said Tuesday, meanwhile, that Vitiello was backed by the Border Patrol agents’ union before his selection that night.The AP said the National Border Patrol Council actively supported Vitiello for the role after enthusiastically endorsing Trump’s presidential bid early last year.

Vitiello was most recently CBP’s executive assistant commissioner for operations support, it added, having first joined the Border Patrol more than 30 years ago.

The agency veteran was also acting Border Patrol chief when his predecessor was appointed last year, the AP noted, also serving as deputy chief in the Obama administration.

Vitiello’s appointment does not require Senate confirmation and comes under a week after Mark Morgan resigned as Border Patrol chief.

Morgan reportedly left the agency one day after Trump signed a controversial executive directive ordering the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Current and former U.S. officials had confirmed Morgan’s Jan. 26 departure, but reports were unclear whether he resigned or had been asked to exit the post.

Trump had signed an executive order the previous day directing federal agencies to fulfill his longstanding campaign pledge to construct a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“A nation without a borders is not a nation,” he said while announcing the order at the Department of Homeland Security. "Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders.”

Trump repeatedly pledged during his 2016 presidential run that Mexico would ultimately pay for a wall separating it from the U.S., while Mexico’s government has denied it will foot the project's bill.

Various estimates put the cost of the project at anywhere between $8-25 billion.

http://thehill.com/latino/317249-trump-admin-picks-new-border-patrol-head

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by BOB PRICE
1 Feb 2017
Washington, DC

Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol said the appointment of Ronald D. Vitiello as their new chief is “invaluable” as the agency prepares to implement President Donald Trump’s border security plans.

“I’ve never worked with [a manager] that cares more about Border Security than Chief Vitiello,” National Border Patol Council President Brandon Judd told Breitbart Texas on Wednesday. “To care; however, isn’t enough. The border isn’t going to secure itself just because someone cares.”

Judd, who represents the 18,000 men and women tasked with securing the border from illegal immigration, drug smugglers, and terrorists, said Vitiello will have to take a serious look at “an organization that has failed over the years.” Borrowing a phrase from President Donald Trump, Judd said the new chief will need to “drain the swamp” and get rid of the “managers that have driven this organization into the ground.” He said those managers must be replaced with intelligent, driven, and proven leaders “who will develop the operations to put our agents in the best position to succeed.”

“Because Chief Vitiello cares so deeply about Border Security I believe he will do just that,” Judd concluded.

In its official statement, the NBPC stated:

We commend President Trump for recognizing that in the US Border Patrol, experience matters. We are unlike any other law enforcement agency in the world. We operate marine, land, and air units in every climate, and every environment. The previous administration’s attempts to treat the Border Patrol like any law enforcement agency, resulted in leadership that was reactive and in constant crisis. As we begin to implement President Trump’s plan to secure the border and protect our communities, Mr. Vitiello’s experience will be invaluable. We look forward to working with Chief Vitiello.

Vitiello previously served as acting Border Patrol chief from December 1, 2015 until President Obama appointed a Border Patrol outsider, Mark Morgan to be chief on July 20, 2016. Morgan abruptly resigned the position as Border Patrol chief last week saying he was “forced out,” Breitbart Texas’ Ildefonso Ortiz reported.

Shortly after Morgan’s appointment as chief, the NBPC spoke out in support of Chief Vitiello and thanked him for his interim service. “Deputy Chief Vitiello has served as an example of what all law enforcement managers should strive to be: a fair, competent leader who took care of his people while accomplishing the mission,” NBPC officials wrote on their website.

Chief Vitiello has more than 30 years’ worth of experience with the U.S. Border Patrol. His career began in the Laredo Sector, one of today’s hotbeds of human and drug smuggling. He was named deputy chief of the Border Patrol in 2010. Just prior to that appointment, Vitiello served as head of the Rio Grande Valley Sector. That sector is the leading region for the apprehension of Unaccompanied Alien Children and Family Unit Aliens.

The NBPC endorsed Donald Trump for president early in the Republican Primary season, Breitbart Texas reported in March 2016. It was the first time their union had made a political endorsement during a presidential campaign.

The NBPC stated:

The NBPC has had a longstanding practice of not endorsing presidential candidates in the primaries. We will not, however, shy away from voicing our opinions as it pertains to border security and the men and women of the United States Border Patrol. As such, we are breaking with our past practice and giving our first-ever endorsement in a presidential primary. We think it is that important: if we do not secure our borders, American communities will continue to suffer at the hands of gangs, cartels and violent criminals preying on the innocent. The lives and security of the American people are at stake, and the National Border Patrol Council will not sit on the sidelines.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...s-border-plan/

Fantastic! So glad new management is in place and with a leader of the division that all the Border Agents support. Get 'em out and keep 'em out. GET R DONE!!