Raul Ortiz, chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, says President Joe Biden's policies are fueling illegal immigration.
Oritz's comments came in a video clip of his July 28 deposition in a case brought by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who has sued the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies for failing to follow federal law at the border.
In a clip posted on YouTube by Moody, Ortiz is seen being sworn in and questioned by an unnamed staffer in her office.
Florida Attorney General's Office: "Would you agree Chief Ortiz that the southern border is currently in crisis?"
Ortiz: "Yes."
A.G.'s Office: "Would you agree, Chief Ortiz, that unprecedented numbers of aliens are illegally entering the United States right now?"
Ortiz: "Yes."
A.G.'s Office: "Are individuals who are turning themselves in ... are they turning themselves in because they believe they're going to be paroled?"
Ortiz: "I would imagine that they're turning themselves in because they think they're going to be released."
A.G.'s Office: "Would you agree, Chief Ortiz, that the aliens who cite favorable immigration policy as the reason to come to the United States are perceiving what's actually happening in the United States?"
Ortiz: "Yes."
A.G's Office: "When President Biden was elected did the number of aliens trying to illegally enter the United States increase or decrease?"
Ortiz: "Increase."
A.G.'s Office: "From your 31 years of experience, has the border patrol in a year ever had the number of encounters that it's going to have in 2022?"
Ortiz: "No."
Moody, recently appearing on Newsmax's "National Report," said the nation's border is "practically open" and the drug cartels know it, which has led to the increase of fentanyl that is killing thousands of Americans.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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