US Border Patrol Chief Forced Out by Biden Administration

(CN) --- The Biden administration on Wednesday removed U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as part of a leadership overhaul of the troubled agency, a decision that had been widely expected after President Donald Trump left office five months ago, and comes as illegal border crossings continue to rise.

Scott, a 29-year veteran of the Border Patrol, said in a social media post that he was sent a letter known as a “3R” letter giving him the option of retiring, resigning or relocating to a different position within the department. The announcement was confirmed by a Department of Homeland Security official Wednesday.

A supporter of Trump’s border wall, Scott said no rationale was required for the decision, but that he would remain on the job for 60 days before adding that “the new administration can place the person they want in the position.”

He will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz.

Earlier Wednesday, Scott informed regional chiefs from around the country of his plans to leave in a video conference, according to reports. Trump elevated Scott to the position of chief in February 2020 after serving as acting deputy Border Patrol chief and previously running the agency’s San Diego sector.

The move comes as the White House announced long-awaited plans for Vice President Kamala Harris to visit the Texas/Mexico border on Friday for the first time as vice president. Republicans have spent the administration’s first few months criticizing Harris for not visiting the southern border after President Joe Biden put her in charge of overseeing the flow of migrant arrivals from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

But the announcement that Harris would go to El Paso failed to satisfy Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said she is “nearly 100 days late and a thousand miles short.”

“By ignoring the Rio Grande Valley, the busiest Border Patrol sector along the U.S. Texas-Mexico border, the vice president is shifting the focus away from the most serious problems of the crisis,” Cornyn said.

The Border Patrol, the law enforcement arm of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, patrols nearly 6,000 miles of the nation’s international borders with Mexico and Canada.

Follow @eidelagarza