August 13, 2021 / Modified aug 16, 2021 9:10 a.m.

Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott retiring

New chief is Raul Ortiz, who started as an an agent in San Diego Sector.

360 border patrol vehicle fence File image of a Border Patrol vehicle on patrol along the Arizona-Mexico border.
AZPM Staff

The chief of the Border Patrol announced he is retiring at the end of the week. Rodney Scott was favored by former President Donald Trump and showed a lot of support for Trump’s border wall.

Rodney Scott United States Border Patrol Chief Rodney S. Scott
U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Scott kept that loyalty to Trump after president Joe Biden took office. Scott refused to stop using the phrase illegal alien to describe undocumented immigrants. A traditional phrase that generations of agents have argued is written into federal code, but that has been widely seen as demeaning for a long time.

"I think it’s important for you to know I'm not retiring from this crisis. I’m just going to fight for you from a slightly different angle. I think you guys know what’s behind that," he said in a video on the agency's YouTube page. He stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial in agency uniform.

Whether Scott intended that as a swipe at the Biden administration wasn’t clear.

The chief of the Border Patrol is appointed by the Customs and Border Protection Commissioner. Biden nominated Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus for that role but the U.S. Senate finance committee stalled his confirmation hearing.

Fronteras Desk
Fronteras Desk is a KJZZ project covering important stories in an expanse stretching from Northern Arizona deep into northwestern Mexico.
MORE: Border, News
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