U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Rodney Scott addresses border patrol agents as he visits the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on Aug, 26, 2020.

The chief of the U.S. Border Patrol announced he is retiring at the end of the week. Rodney Scott was favored by former President Donald Trump and showed a lot of support for Trump’s border wall. 

Scott kept that loyalty to Trump after president Joe Biden took office. Scott refused to stop using the phrase "illegal alien" to describe undocumented immigrants. A traditional phrase that generations of agents have argued is written into federal code, but that has been widely seen as demeaning for a long time. 

"I think it’s important for you to know I'm not retiring from this crisis. I’m just going to fight for you from a slightly different angle. I think you guys know what’s behind that," he said in a video on the agency's YouTube page. He stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial in agency uniform.

Whether Scott intended that as a swipe at the Biden administration wasn’t clear. 

The chief of the Border Patrol is appointed by the Customs and Border Protection Commissioner. Biden nominated Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus for that role but the U.S. Senate finance committee stalled his confirmation hearing.

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