Former CBP and ICE leaders reply to Biden border claims in SOTU: 'They intentionally unsecured it'

Following President Joe Biden's comments about America's southern border crisis during his State of the Union Address Tuesday night, former federal immigration officials issued direct rebuttals to many of the claims, even asserting that the current administration is causing the chaos on purpose to enhance their political power. 

"With the State of the Union, the thing that jumped out at me is what [Biden] didn't say about the border," former Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Chief Mark Morgan told Just The News on Wednesday. "No objectively, rational, reasonable person can deny the unmitigated catastrophe at our border. The President of the United States spent three times the amount of time talking about the 'Junk Fee Act,' then he did about our border. It was unbelievable to me."

"Our border is wide open," he continued. "Cartels are increasing their operational control every single day. In the first 24 months, we had 1.2 million known got-aways, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, aggravated felons and gang members that are pouring into this country. We know dangerous narcotics are pouring into this country, killing 9,000 Americans every 30 days, and [Biden] literally spends four lines talking about it."

Morgan explained how lax Democrat policies regarding illegal immigration — Biden's specifically — are being implemented purely for "perpetual political power." 

"Illegal aliens are counted as part of the census," he said. "There are estimates of over 20 million illegal aliens in this country. This administration has already added a couple of million illegal aliens. At this pace, going forward, this administration could easily add another six or eight million illegal aliens into this country in just 48 months. It's going to have a very, real direct impact with respect to redistricting the House seats in the Democratic favor." 

He also said Democrats believe each illegal immigrant they help bring into the country will translate into one more "Democratic vote" at the polls. 

"This is politics as normal, and it's disgusting," the former CBP chief added. "They're opening up our nation's borders to a vast complex set of threats." 

Former Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan was also on the interview call, and challenged Biden's claim that only 70,000 people a year die from the powerful opioid medication Fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. 

"[The Fentanyl deaths] are over 100,000, and that's just in one year," Homan said. "What I also caught, was Biden talked about Fentanyl flow and putting more equipment and technology at the port of entry. This administration wants you to think that most of the Fentanyl comes through the port of entries, because they don't want you to think it comes between the port of entries. Then, they'd have to admit the border's open and they don't have a secure border. I've argued this for years. More Fentanyl is seized at a port of entry — and why is that? Because every vehicle is stopped."

"The cartels know, you can put a bunch of Fentanyl in a vehicle and push it through a port of entry, that driver will be stopped," Homan added. "Cartels [instead] move Fentanyl through the place of least resistance, which is the border. 70 to 80% of agents are off the line, processing these huge numbers [of migrants]."

He also claimed cartels take advantage of these agents being distracted while they are processing non-violent illegal immigrants, knowing they can move more product due to the government's diminished manpower and attention. 

"It doesn't take a genius to understand where they're going to push those drugs through," Homan continued. "Bottom line, it isn't a coincidence you have record-numbers of opioid overdose deaths, the same year you have record illegal immigration. The cartels control our border. So this President, [his cabinet], and Democrats keep pushing this port of entry thing that [illegal] aliens aren't bringing drugs across. It's a stone cold lie." 

Both men also highlighted Republican response from the gallery during Biden's SOTU speech, which took the form of jeers, laughter, and faces with blank expressions on them. 

"You heard Republicans being very vocal saying it's his fault," Morgan stated. "And, you know, you heard laughter from them. And I think that is a representation of frustration... This administration took the most secure border in our lifetime, and they intentionally unsecured it, jeopardizing every aspect of our nation's health, safety and national security." 

Morgan went on to accuse the Biden Administration of perpetuating "an intentional distraction" meant to "[mislead] the people," and said he believes it's "the same thing is a lie."

"They want to only talk about the drugs that have been seized," he said. "They will not be honest with the American people to talk about the massive amount of drugs getting past us... All you have to do is look at the interior. Go to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and local law enforcement to see the massive seizures of drugs and not just Fentanyl.

"It's also cocaine, meth, heroin, you name it," Morgan concluded. "The massive seizures that are happening in the United States tell you just how open the border is and what's getting through." 

Just The News reached out to the White House press office for comment on Morgan and Homan's rebuttal points regarding border security, overdoses, and other main points of Biden's SOTU address. They did not, however, reply to the media request. 

You can follow Nick on Twitter @NGivasDC