The US Border Patrol Cheif says he was forced out by the Trump Administration. He reports being asked to leave and he decided to resign.
The man charged with protecting America’s borders was ousted Thursday, one day after President Donald Trump announced ambitious plans to build a massive wall at the Mexican border and bolster the ranks of the Border Patrol.
Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan said he was asked to leave and decided to resign rather than fight the request, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the brief video conference in which Morgan informed senior agents of the change.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussion was not intended to be made public.
The forced resignation leaves Trump with a leadership gap but also gives him a chance to start fresh with a Border Patrol chief of his own choosing.
Border security and a “big beautiful wall” paid for by the Mexican government were centerpieces of Trump’s immigration platform during his presidential campaign. Mexico has repeatedly said it won’t pay for a barrier, and Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday cancelled a meeting with Trump.
Morgan was named to the post in June and took office in October. The former FBI agent briefly led the internal affairs department at the Border Patrol’s parent agency before heading the agency of roughly 20,000 agents.
Via AP