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. 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. 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.

Source: New York Times January 26, 2017 21:22 UTC