A Border Patrol agent has expressed frustration over recent shifts in his duties, accusing the Biden-Harris administration of turning the agency into a “migrant concierge service.”
A U.S. Border Patrol agent has publicly criticized the Biden-Harris administration, describing his current role as resembling a “migrant concierge service” rather than a law enforcement position. Speaking to the New York Post on Friday, Zachary Apotheker, a Border Patrol agent who joined the agency in 2020, voiced his dissatisfaction with the direction of U.S. border policies under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Apotheker, who initially joined the Border Patrol to stop drug trafficking and apprehend illegal entrants, said that his job has drastically changed under the current administration. He claimed that the focus has shifted toward facilitating migrant entry into the country, rather than securing the border. “I don’t want to bring people into the country. That’s not what I signed up to do,” Apotheker told the New York Post in an interview.
Border Patrol agent sounds off on job under Harris-Biden administration: ‘Not what I signed up to do’ https://t.co/ELqWSRIKLu pic.twitter.com/HAKH2ZEuzT
— New York Post (@nypost) September 13, 2024
The agent expressed concerns about national security, citing that over 8 million migrants have crossed the southern border since January 2021. Among those who have entered the U.S. are individuals linked to the Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua, according to Apotheker. He also highlighted the worrying statistic that over 1.7 million illegal migrants have evaded capture since Biden took office.
The impact on American citizens has deeply affected Apotheker, who has encountered victims of migrant-related crimes. “When I see people from another country coming here, getting resources beyond what the American citizen can get, that’s where I have to draw the line. And then they’re going out and committing crimes, and we’re still not removing them, and American citizens are being killed, women are being raped,” he said in his interview with the New York Post. “I’m an apolitical person and I just want to do my job and protect this country.”
In addition to security concerns, Apotheker and other Border Patrol agents have raised alarms about the inadequate documentation of unaccompanied migrant children under 14, many of whom are being released without proper biometric data. This lack of documentation has led to complications in safely relocating these children to families or sponsors in the U.S., according to the New York Post. Apotheker cited that 291,000 migrant children have been released without court dates, with an additional 32,000 failing to appear for their scheduled hearings, further straining the already overwhelmed immigration system.
Determined to draw attention to what he views as a national crisis, Apotheker stated that he is willing to risk his career to bring light to the severe mismanagement and potential dangers posed by the administration’s current policies. “However bad you think it is now, it’s only going to be worse,” he warned.
The White House and U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
