Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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Over the weekend, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Chris Magnus apologized for the Twitter activity of his organization’s West Texas office when it was revealed that the account in question contained tweets from a Trump associate who painted the situation at the southern border in unflattering terms.
As first reported by the Daily Wire, the issue began when a left-wing activist noticed and shared the fact that CBP West Texas had shared a pair of tweets from Stephen Miller, a former immigration policy advisor to then-President Donald Trump.
Miller, who like his former boss is not shy on social media, has frequently derided President Joe Biden for his inability to gain control of the southern border.
On Saturday, CBP West Texas retweeted a post from Miller that read, “Violent criminals lay waste to our communities undisturbed while the immense power of the state is arrayed against those whose only crime is dissent. The law has been turned from a shield to protect the innocent into a sword to conquer them.”
What is up with the @CBPWestTexas Twitter feed right now? This is one of the most egregious examples I’ve ever seen of a US federal law enforcement agency defying elected political leadership in official communications. pic.twitter.com/iON2AmqPqs
— Adam Isacson (@adam_wola) September 10, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, Miller wrote, “The media’s greatest power is its ability to frame what is a dire national crisis (eg ‘cops are racist’ summer ‘20) and what is not. Biden’s eradication of our border means we are no longer a Republic — he’s ended nearly 250 years of constitutional government. The media is silent.”
The retweets were rather quickly deleted after activist Adam Isacson — who objected to “a US federal law enforcement agency defying elected political leadership in official communications” — shared a screen-grab.
What is up with the @CBPWestTexas Twitter feed right now? This is one of the most egregious examples I’ve ever seen of a US federal law enforcement agency defying elected political leadership in official communications. pic.twitter.com/iON2AmqPqs
— Adam Isacson (@adam_wola) September 10, 2022
Following a public outcry on Twitter, Magnus stepped in.
“Totally unacceptable and disappointing that any CBP Twitter account was used to R/T offensive, unauthorized content,” Magnus said. “This must not happen again.”
Magnus did not label the retweets as containing misinformation, only as messages that “do not reflect the values of this administration and our work to rebuild a humane, orderly, and secure immigration system.”
Totally unacceptable and disappointing that any CBP Twitter account was used to R/T offensive, unauthorized content. We’ve removed the content and will deactivate the account. The Office of Professional Responsibility will investigate. This must not happen again. pic.twitter.com/O0Vwr3K7nI
— CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus (@CBPChrisMagnus) September 11, 2022
The commissioner’s actions seemed to satiate the Twitter critics, although with that platform all peace is fleeting and fragile, and his headaches seem to have only just begun.
Monday afternoon, journalist Ali Bradley tweeted that the Arizona Sheriff’s Association had voted no-confidence in Magnus.
“Since Commissioner Magnus was appointed nearly nine months ago, we have continued to see an influx in illegal immigration and illicit drugs cross our Southern border,” a letter shared by Bradley reads. “What we have not seen is an increased partnership from the federal government including CBP to assist local law enforcement in preventing this activity.”
JUST IN: Arizona’s Sheriffs issue a vote of no confidence in @CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus saying he’s not fit to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection due to the increase in illegal immigration and illicit drugs coming across the border: pic.twitter.com/OHdNeRulyb
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) September 12, 2022
Magnus has not yet responded to this new development as of this writing.