The men and women serving as Customs and Border Patrol agents aren't feeling the "dehumanizing culture" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked about during a contentious congressional hearing Thursday, but are working hard to protect Americans, agency Deputy Commissioner Robert Perez said Friday.
"We are a culture of front line agents, officers, men, and women, who have already affected 4,000 rescues, risking our own lives for the sake of rescuing people who find themselves in danger trying to more often than not illegally cross the border," Perez told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "We are a culture of looking out for every time that we have to protecting our communities, protecting our citizens, from gangs, gang members, drug traffickers.
Further, the agency is a "culture filled" with people who carry themselves with "utmost professionalism," said Perez, and he is "absolutely proud" of the men and women at the front lines.
Meanwhile, laws must be changed to help the agents do their jobs, said Perez noting that it took a year just to get the recognition that there is a humanitarian crisis at the border.
Perez also Friday noted that there is now just over 51 miles of new wall along the nation's southern border, mostly in Southern California.
"This infrastructure, the wall, along with technology we're deploying along the border, now more than ever is critically important to pursue and maintain that border security mission," he said. "The wall is a critical part of that part of our mission."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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