L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Calls Rise In Latino Border Patrol Agents ‘Sad,’ DHS Accuses Her Of Race-Baiting

Federal data show that more than half of agents on the southern border are Hispanic.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is criticizing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she commented on reports of a rise in Latino hires among U.S. Border Patrol agents.

On Dec. 29, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin addressed Mayor Bass’s recent CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer, in which Bass described the reported increase in Latino recruitment among U.S. Border Patrol agents as “sad.” According to McLaughlin, Bass’s comments “only reveal how detached she is from reality and how averse she is to the rule of law and public safety,” and accused her of “race-baiting for media clicks,” Newsweek reports.

Bass, who recently announced her re-election bid, made the remarks on Dec. 26 during an appearance on Wolf Blitzer’s The Situation Room, expressing concern over the growing number of Latinos joining the Border Patrol.

“Well, in a way, I think it’s sad,” Bass responded after Blizter asked for a reaction to David Culver’s CNN report about the Latino hiring increase. “I think that those Border Patrol agents are going to have a difficult time when they’re out in the field, and they see what actually happens in real life, separate from their training. But I do understand that their primary incentive is financial. I think it just speaks to the financial situation that millions of Americans find themselves in. And I definitely am concerned about that report.”

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Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass expressed disappointment and concern with Hispanics joining Border Patrol — arguing they’re only doing it for the paycheck. More details at the link in bio.
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For his report, Culver spoke with 20-year-old Border Patrol recruit Juan Peralta, who said friends back home were surprised by his decision to join and would ask, “How do you feel about arresting your own kind?”

“And how do you answer that when you hear that?” Culver asked.

Peralta responded, “They didn‘t come in the right way. So, they aren‘t my kind.”

CBP reports that applications have risen 70% compared to last year, and federal data shows that more than half of agents on the southern border are Hispanic.