Washington, DC — Yesterday, news broke that Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino had been removed from his role as “commander at large” for CBP and was leaving Minneapolis. Meanwhile, Beltway speculation highlights DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s future as a cabinet member may be endangered.
The following is a statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“Let’s not be fooled: the news and rumors about Greg Bovino and Kristi Noem sound encouraging, but nothing will change until DHS is held accountable for the deadly and out-of-control ICE and Border Patrol and until we recognize and hold accountable those who are ultimately responsible for what is playing out before our eyes.
As I said yesterday, the buck stops with Donald Trump. Moving around some chess pieces among his flunkeys is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. So while Democrats’ ideas currently under consideration are important steps toward reining in ICE and CBP abuses and adding essential accountability, the problem isn’t just with those agencies and the solution doesn’t begin or end there.
We must also chart a broader vision for fixing our broken immigration system to provide an alternative to the violence, harms and cruelty inherent to mass deportation and the way it is being weaponized to tear American communities apart. And we need – across all parties – to organize, to join together, and to denounce the profoundly dangerous moment we are living through. It goes much deeper than immigration and the culpability doesn’t begin or end with ICE and CBP, but goes directly to the man who sits in the Oval Office.”
