Politics

Border Patrol Union Says NO To Donald Trump Visit

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Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump was snubbed by a union of border patrol agents Thursday who dropped him from a tour of the Texas-Mexican border.

Local 2455 of the National Border Patrol Council noted the decision was made after talking with its national union leaders. After considering all factors the union says it felt the best option was to pull out of all events associated with the business mogul. The decision was made just over a month after Trump called illegal immigrants rapists.

“Make no mistake, our 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,” Local 2455 President Hector Garza said in a statement. “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 represents agents and support staff on the United States Border Patrol. It is an affiliate of the American Federation of Government Employees. Local 2455 notes it was never considering endorsing Trump or any candidate.

“Our intentions to meet with Mr. Trump was to provide a ‘Boots on the Ground’ perspective to not only Mr. Trump, but to the media that would be in attendance at this event,” Garza said. “Just to be clear, an endorsement was never discussed for any presidential candidate.”

Though the union didn’t mention the comments, Trump was highly criticized when he called illegal immigrants rapists last month.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best,” he said during his campaign announcement speech. “They’re not sending you, they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they’re telling us what we’re getting.”

Despite the criticism, including by fellow Republicans, Trump has refused to back down. He has argued the country needs to keep violent immigrants out.

“The crime is raging and it’s violent. And if you talk about it, it’s racist,” Trump told Fox News three days after his announcement.

Following Local 2455 announcement, Trump’s campaign that its clear politicians are trying to keep something on the border a secret.

“They are being silenced, and are very unhappy about it, as told directly to Mr. Trump,” the campaign said according to KMBC. “It can only be assumed that there are things the politicians in Washington do not want Americans to see or discuss. It shows that we are not even safe in our own country.”

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