The Border Patrol agents that had invited Donald Trump to visit them on the border announced they were pulling out of the presidential candidate’s Thursday plans in Laredo, Texas — a move the Trump campaign described as a silencing from superiors in D.C. who don’t want people to know things on the border are “every bit as bad as Mr. Trump has been saying.”
“After careful consideration of all the factors involved in this event and communicating with members of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) at the National level, it has been decided by Local 2455 to pull out of all events involving Donald Trump,” the union said in a statement.
The union said the group’s intentions to meet with Mr. Trump were to provide a “Boots on the Ground” perspective to both Mr. Trump and the media that would be in attendance.
Mr. Trump’s campaign vowed to press ahead with the Thursday trip to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Despite the great danger, Mr. Trump is traveling to Laredo, TX to proceed with the visit to the border,” his campaign said in a statement. “It is unfortunate the local union of Border Patrol Agents received pressure at a national level not to participate and ultimately pulled out of today’s event. They are being silenced, and are very unhappy about it, as told directly to Mr. Trump.”
An itinerary for the trip released by Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign Wednesday had a “meet and greet” scheduled with the Local 2455 Executive Board at the Laredo International Airport in Texas. Mr. Trump was then to travel to the actual border and later speak to local law enforcement officials.
“It can only be assumed that there are things the politicians in Washington do not want Americans to see or discuss,” the campaign’s statement said. “It shows that we are not even safe in our own country. It is time to face these hard truths and Make America Great Again!”
The union’s statement also said the border with Mexico is not secure and “there’s no doubt that we need to have an honest discussion about that with the American people.”
“As a local of the NBPC, our purpose is to support and protect the men and women who protect our borders,” the union’s statement said. “Local 2455 will continue to represent our members to the best of our abilities and will make sure that our members concerns are heard by the American people.”
The union also said an endorsement was never discussed for any presidential candidate and Local 2455 does not endorse candidates for any political office.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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