Border Patrol chief retiring after seeing through end of Title 42

WASHINGTON – The head of the U.S. Border Patrol announced Tuesday that he was retiring, after seeing through a major policy shift that seeks to clamp down on illegal crossings at the U.s.-mexico border following the end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions.

Chief Raul Ortiz said in a note to staff Tuesday obtained by The Associated Press that he will leave June 30. It’s not clear yet who will replace him.

“I leave at ease, knowing we have a tremendous uniformed and professional workforce, strong relationships with our union partners, and outstanding leaders who will continue to tirelessly advocate for you each day,” Ortiz said in the note.

Ortiz managed the Border Patrol and its roughly 20,000 agents through the COVID-19 pandemic and Title 42 emergency health restrictions that began in March 2020 and allowed agents to quickly return migrants over the border. He also oversaw a new set of restrictions rolled out May 11 meant to discourage migrants from crossing illegally while opening up other legal pathways. While there are concerns about overcrowding at stations, so far, the massive chaotic scenes anticipated by even President Joe Biden have not materialized.

The Border Patrol, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, has been been under a constant spotlight for years as the number of illegal crossings has reached record highs. Agents take into custody migrants who cross the border illegally which has increasingly become families.

Ortiz took over as chief in August 2021, following the ouster of Rodney Scott, who enthusiastically embraced Trump’s policies, including construction of a border wall with Mexico. Ortiz, like Scott, was a career official who slowly climbed the ranks over his 30-year career, and was Scott’s top deputy at the time he became the agency’s leader but stayed away from more charged issues like the border wall.