Border chief says Biden's opposition to Trump's wall is a 'message to the cartels'

Experts say a border wall does nothing to prevent smugglers who often use other methods to transport their product.

By Oliver Willis - August 07, 2020

Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection Agency, attacked former vice president Joe Biden on Friday for his opposition to a southern border wall.

On Thursday, Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, had said that, if he were elected president, “There will not be another foot of wall constructed.”

Morgan claimed on Fox News Friday that Biden’s statement sent a “message to the cartels and smugglers” who would “exploit” it and send more people to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, creating “crisis 2.0.”

The border wall has been an ineffective obstacle to stopping smugglers. Experts have noted that a wall does nothing to prevent them from using other underground tunnel systems or methods of transportation, such as boats, to transport product across the border. And newly built sections that have gone up during the Trump administration have even been defeated through the use of a $100 commercial saw.

Morgan also made his remarks this week while speaking from what was identified as “CBP Headquarters.”

The federal law known as the Hatch Act prohibits government employees from campaigning in their official government capacity. Members of the Trump administration have been cited by the Office of Special Counsel for previous violations.

From the August 6 edition of Fox News’ “Fox & Friends”:

BRIAN KILMEADE, co-host: The other thing, if you tell people we’re not building the wall and you get free health care, what is that — what’s the message to Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua — come to America, it’s free. Congratulations, you have chaos on the border again. Has he even thought this out?

MARK MORGAN: Absolutely. You know, from my perspective, my answer is it’s simple: No, it’s absolutely not. That’s rhetoric that’s being stated right now, you are sending a missile — message to the cartels and smugglers that are going to exploit that. You’re going to send a message to all of these individuals that are looking for economic — a better way of life.

It’s olly olly in come free. And we’ve seen it before and we’re going to see it again. I can promise the American people that that’s going to happen. We’re going to be in crisis 2.0.