SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Joint Task Force – West (JTF-W) Director Manuel Padilla, Jr. told Breitbart News that physical barriers on the U.S. southern border actually do matter during a 45-minute exclusive interview.
“Do you think the physical barriers really do matter?” Breitbart News Border and Cartels Director Brandon Darby asked Director Padilla. “Oh absolutely, absolutely,” the director emphatically responded.
“I actually started talking about those things when we were very busy in South Texas,” Padilla explained. “And if you look at it proportionally, the tactical infrastructure that we have — to include the walls — is a lot less in South Texas than in other parts of the country.”
Prior to his appointment as the Department of Homeland Security’s Joint Task Force — West, Padilla served as Chief Patrol agent for the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector — the nation’s busiest sector for migrant apprehensions.
“That’s nobody’s fault,” the director continued, “we were very busy in El Paso, we were very busy in San Diego in years past and it’s kind of shifted traffic to different areas.”
Kamala Harris to Team Up with Radical Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Apparent Sign of Intent
Hyperbolic ‘Hottest Summer Ever’ Headlines Aren’t Meteorological Science
Trump seen reading plans for Kennedy Center ‘DEMOLITION’ during ride on Air Force One
Brandon Johnson’s latest viral moment sends Chicago critics into a frenzy: ‘What the actual F?’
Homeowners in the heart of America’s AI boom are getting an unexpected payoff
Rogue TX Police Dept. Arrests Woman for Criticizing Town’s Water, So State Disbands Entire Dept.
‘American Idol’ Moves Production from California to Georgia in Cost-Cutting Measure
Kavanaugh throws Trump ‘a lifeline’ on mail ballot rules despite Supreme Court loss before midterms
Explosive report exposes ‘dangerous imbalance’ in law school pipeline shaping how election cases are decided
States hold off on discarding 2024 ballots after DOJ notice
West Virginia woman charged in death of ill husband she left on toilet for 19 hours
20 states sue to block Trump admin rule that would make it harder for immigrants to obtain visas, green cards
WATCH: Handcuffed inmate breaks free, punches deputy in wild courthouse escape attempt
Democrat candidate seen sobbing, praying in patrol car after DUI arrest: Video
Maryland family speaks out after ‘4-foot-long’ rabid beaver attacks 13-year-old boy
“The 654 miles of border that we have in place have been built to some extent or another under previous administrations,” he stated. “I think this administration is focused not only on border security but on law and order in general.
“I was very hopeful, very happy when I saw that this administration was very focused on establishing the personnel, technology, and infrastructure to the levels that we are working on and also that engagement with Mexico and Central America,” Padilla concluded.
Director Padilla’s full interview with Brandon Darby:
President Donald Trump appointed Director Padilla to lead the Department of Homeland Security’s Joint Task Force — West in October 2018. The task force coordinates the assets and personnel of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other federal agencies to secure the U.S. southwest border.
Story cited here.
