Rodney Scott (law enforcement officer)

Rodney Scott
24th Chief of United States Border Patrol
In office
February 2, 2020 – August 14, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byCarla Provost
Succeeded byRaul Ortiz (interim)
Websitehttps://www.bpchiefscott.com/

Rodney S. Scott served as the 24th Chief of the United States Border Patrol from January 24, 2020 to August 14, 2021 in both the Trump and Biden administrations.

Career

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President Trump with Scott at the border wall near Yuma, Arizona, June 2020

Scott joined the U.S. Border Patrol on May 11, 1992, as a member of Academy Class 252. Has served in various leadership positions within the Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including chief patrol agent at El Centro Sector in Imperial, California; deputy chief patrol agent San Diego Sector; patrol agent in charge at the Brown Field Station in San Diego, California; assistant chief in CBP's Office of Anti-Terrorism in Washington, D.C.; and division chief and director for the Incident Management and Operations Coordination Division at CBP Headquarters.[1]

As Chief, Scott supported President Trump's border wall, and was critical of Democrats who favored other ways of addressing illegal aliens.[2] Scott refused to support President Biden's directive to stop using legal words like "illegal alien" in favor of descriptors like "migrant".[3] Between March 2021 and May 2021, a record number of unaccompanied children were picked up along the border, which forced many to be placed in shelters after federal border facilities were overwhelmed.[2][3] In June 2021, Scott released a statement saying he had been "given the option to resign, retire or relocate with no rationale provided...so the new administration can place the person they want in the position".[2] Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz will serve as interim chief.[3]

Personal life

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Scott is married and has two daughters. He grew up in rural areas of Indiana and Arizona. Scott lived in Coronado, California from 1994 to 1997, before moving to Arizona and Washington, D.C. for job assignments. In 2008, Scott and his family moved back to Coronado.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Singman, Brooke (January 24, 2020). "Border Patrol Veteran Rodney Scott Tapped to Lead Agency". Fox News.
  2. ^ a b c Meyer, Josh (June 23, 2021). "Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott ousted, paving the way for Biden to install new leadership". USA Today.
  3. ^ a b c Spagat, Elliot (June 24, 2021). "Border Patrol chief forced out of position". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
  4. ^ "Coronado's Rodney Scott Selected as Chief, U.S. Border Patrol". The Coronado Times. January 27, 2020.