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| Border Patrol Chief, an Agency Outsider, Is Stepping Down | Border Patrol Chief, an Agency Outsider, Is Stepping Down |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Mark Morgan, who has led the United States Border Patrol for just a few months, will leave the agency just days after President Trump announced plans to increase the number of agents, according to a statement Thursday from Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the agency. | |
| Mr. Morgan told senior Border Patrol officials that he had been asked to resign, said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak to the news media. The official described staff members as shocked. | Mr. Morgan told senior Border Patrol officials that he had been asked to resign, said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak to the news media. The official described staff members as shocked. |
| Mr. Morgan’s last day at the agency, which has more than 20,000 agents and is responsible for border security, is Tuesday. He could not be reached for comment. | Mr. Morgan’s last day at the agency, which has more than 20,000 agents and is responsible for border security, is Tuesday. He could not be reached for comment. |
| Mr. Morgan had expressed a desire to stay at the agency in the Trump administration, a Department of Homeland Security official said. | Mr. Morgan had expressed a desire to stay at the agency in the Trump administration, a Department of Homeland Security official said. |
| The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about internal staffing issues, said Mr. Morgan had sent an internal email to Border Patrol staff members after the election criticizing the immigration enforcement policies of President Barack Obama and his Homeland Security secretary, Jeh C. Johnson. | The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about internal staffing issues, said Mr. Morgan had sent an internal email to Border Patrol staff members after the election criticizing the immigration enforcement policies of President Barack Obama and his Homeland Security secretary, Jeh C. Johnson. |
| The official said it appeared to be an attempt by Mr. Morgan to please the incoming administration, which had made border security a key campaign platform. | The official said it appeared to be an attempt by Mr. Morgan to please the incoming administration, which had made border security a key campaign platform. |
| Mr. Morgan, a former F.B.I. agent, was appointed chief in June and took over in October. He was the first chief in the agency’s 93-year history who had never worked as a border patrol agent. He had led the internal affairs office at Customs and Border Protection before taking over the Border Patrol. | Mr. Morgan, a former F.B.I. agent, was appointed chief in June and took over in October. He was the first chief in the agency’s 93-year history who had never worked as a border patrol agent. He had led the internal affairs office at Customs and Border Protection before taking over the Border Patrol. |
| His appointment drew criticism from the National Border Patrol Council, the union for Border Patrol workers, which said an insider should have been appointed to head the agency. | His appointment drew criticism from the National Border Patrol Council, the union for Border Patrol workers, which said an insider should have been appointed to head the agency. |
| The union endorsed Mr. Trump during the election, and the union’s president, Brandon Judd, also served on Mr. Trump’s transition team. | The union endorsed Mr. Trump during the election, and the union’s president, Brandon Judd, also served on Mr. Trump’s transition team. |
| Shawn Moran, a union spokesman, declined to comment on Mr. Morgan’s departure. | Shawn Moran, a union spokesman, declined to comment on Mr. Morgan’s departure. |
| In announcing a crackdown on illegal immigration in a speech at the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, Mr. Trump took care to praise the union’s president and the Border Patrol, which had members in the front rows. | In announcing a crackdown on illegal immigration in a speech at the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, Mr. Trump took care to praise the union’s president and the Border Patrol, which had members in the front rows. |
| Mr. Trump also praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose union also endorsed him. One executive order Mr. Trump signed on Wednesday will add 5,000 new agents to the Border Patrol and reverse several Obama-era policies that agents say impaired their ability to secure the border. | Mr. Trump also praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose union also endorsed him. One executive order Mr. Trump signed on Wednesday will add 5,000 new agents to the Border Patrol and reverse several Obama-era policies that agents say impaired their ability to secure the border. |
| The president did not single out other services in attendance for praise, such as the Transportation Security Administration or Coast Guard. | The president did not single out other services in attendance for praise, such as the Transportation Security Administration or Coast Guard. |
| R. Gil Kerlikowske, who stepped down as the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection last week and who appointed Mr. Morgan to head the border patrol, said he was not surprised by Mr. Morgan’s departure, given the union opposition to his hiring. | R. Gil Kerlikowske, who stepped down as the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection last week and who appointed Mr. Morgan to head the border patrol, said he was not surprised by Mr. Morgan’s departure, given the union opposition to his hiring. |
| “They were very vocal about an outsider coming in, even with his credentials as a police officer, deputy sheriff,” Mr. Kerlikowske said. “It’s very concerning to have a union making those kinds of decisions.” | “They were very vocal about an outsider coming in, even with his credentials as a police officer, deputy sheriff,” Mr. Kerlikowske said. “It’s very concerning to have a union making those kinds of decisions.” |
| Customs and Border Protection did not say who would replace Mr. Morgan. During the presidential campaign, Joseph Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona, who clashed with the Obama administration over his illegal immigration raids, was mentioned as a possible replacement. | Customs and Border Protection did not say who would replace Mr. Morgan. During the presidential campaign, Joseph Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona, who clashed with the Obama administration over his illegal immigration raids, was mentioned as a possible replacement. |
| The Border Patrol has come under scrutiny for what some critics say is an inability to discipline officers and for policies concerning the use of force. A cross-border shooting in which a border agent shot and killed a Mexican boy in 2012 caused a diplomatic row with Mexico. | The Border Patrol has come under scrutiny for what some critics say is an inability to discipline officers and for policies concerning the use of force. A cross-border shooting in which a border agent shot and killed a Mexican boy in 2012 caused a diplomatic row with Mexico. |
| Dozens of Border Patrol agents have been arrested in recent years on corruption charges, including taking bribes to allow drugs and illegal immigrants to enter the country. | Dozens of Border Patrol agents have been arrested in recent years on corruption charges, including taking bribes to allow drugs and illegal immigrants to enter the country. |