President-elect Donald Trump has selected former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, who President Joe Biden put out to pasture, as the director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Trump announced late Thursday that he would nominate Scott, who Biden had let go in August 2021 after he came out against banning the term “illegal alien,” as the leader of the 65,000-person federal agency inside the Department of Homeland Security. Scott’s nomination ended a month-long debate over who would win the coveted job.
“Rodney served nearly three decades in the Border Patrol, building vast experience and knowledge in Law Enforcement and Border Security,” Trump said in a statement. “Rodney served as the 24th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, where he implemented Remain-in-Mexico, Title 42, Safe Third Agreements, and achieved record low levels of illegal immigration.”
“As the Chief, he led over 22,000 personnel, and was responsible for securing the International Borders of the U.S. between the official ports of entry,” said Trump. “After retiring, Rodney has continued to educate politicians and the public about the importance of meaningful Border Security.”
CBP without leader under Biden
CBP has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for two years. Chris Magnus, previously police chief of Tucson, AZ, was nominated in April 2021 but not confirmed until later that year.
Magnus was forced out less than a year on the job and resigned in November 2022 after refusing the Department of Homeland Security secretary’s order to step down amid the worst border crisis in America’s history.
Troy Miller has been the senior official performing the duties of the CPB commissioner since Biden took office in January 2021 through Magnus’s arrival then stepped back up when Magnus left two years ago.
Miller was the executive director of the National Targeting Center, which is responsible for implementing the agency’s counterterrorism strategy. He started his career in 1993 as a customs inspector.
Miller was expected to be a temporary fill-in at headquarters but has carried out the Biden administration’s changes to immigration policies, even mandating that employees stop using terms such as “illegal alien” in favor of more inclusive language.
Meet Rodney Scott
Rodney Scott and Jason Owens, both of whom have led the U.S. Border Patrol, had topped the list for CBP commissioner, as well as Mike Banks, the border czar for the state of Texas.
Scott was the chief of the Border Patrol under Trump and Biden before Biden forced out Scott five months into his term and Scott left in August 2021. Owens took over as chief of the 20,000-employee Border Patrol in mid-2023 and is currently the chief. Border Patrol makes up roughly one-third of CBP.
Scott is from Southern California and joined the Border Patrol in 1992 at the Imperial Beach Station out of San Diego. He worked his way up through the ranks with positions across the country before being named Anti-Terrorism Advisor to the CBP Commissioner after the 9/11 terrorist attack then promoted to CBP Office of Anti-Terrorism deputy executive director.
Scott was promoted to Border Patrol chief under Trump but was forced out in August 2021 in a move that was “completely driven by politics,” according to one person familiar with the internal dealings.
Scott pushed out by Biden
Under Biden, Scott was given what Border Patrol agents refer to as the “three R letter,” which stands for resign, retire, or relocate. In a 2021 post to his personal Facebook page, Scott wrote that he had received his letter in mid-2021 asking him to leave his post.
“I received my 3R letter today. For those not familiar, that is Federal government slang for the letter issued to [Senior Executive Service] level employees informing them of a directed reassignment. The recipient has 3 options- relocate, resign, or retire. No rationale or reason is required, nor is it disciplinary,” Scott wrote. “Just a simple needs of the service directed reassignment so the new administration can place the person they want in the position.”
One person said Scott’s being pushed out was not related to Scott’s performance during his 18 months as chief or how he had handled the surge of people coming across the southern border since Biden took office.
In early 2021, Scott had sent Miller a memo coming out against the then-new Biden administration’s plans to do away with the legal term “illegal alien” in place of “undocumented immigrants.”
Ahead of an April 19 announcement from Troy Miller, the temporary leader of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol’s national chief, Rodney Scott, sent an internal memo to his superior, criticizing the decision to replace immigration terms with ones seen as less offensive.
“This memorandum serves as my official nonconcurrence to the proposed updated terminology for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) communications and materials. I will not undermine this effort; however, I cannot endorse it,” Scott wrote in a letter to Miller on April 16, 2021.
“The U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) is and must remain an apolitical federal law enforcement agency. Over the years, many outside forces on both extremes of the political spectrum have intentionally, or unintentionally politicized our agency and our mission,” wrote Scott. “Despite every attempt by USBP leadership to ensure that all official messaging remained consistent with law, fact, and evidence, there is no doubt that the reputation of the USBP has suffered because of the many outside voices. Mandating the use of terms which are inconsistent with law has the potential to further erode public trust in our government institutions.”
The 29-year law enforcement veteran took on a visiting fellow role at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin, TX.
Running CBP for Trump 2.0
CBP has 65,000 employees and is comprised of several smaller organizations, including the Border Patrol. CBP is responsible for inspecting people and goods entering the United States by air, land, and sea.
U.S. Border Patrol agents reacted ecstatically to news that Trump would return to the White House after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5.
“We have hope. We can take care of our country and our citizens. Do what we took an oath to do. Bring pride back to our agency,” a senior Border Patrol agent in Texas wrote in a text message Wednesday morning. “We felt like we were forced to turn our backs on our country! No more!!!”
Under the Biden administration, more than 10.7 million people have been encountered by federal police attempting to enter the country, more than any two-term administration, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics.
Although the current administration has returned more illegal immigrants to Mexico and other countries, it has also released more than any other administration into the country to await court dates years down the road.
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