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.”
Trump to ask Xi to free wrongfully detained US citizen as wife speaks out
SHOCK POLL: Powerful blue state gov’s lead shrinks to single digits weeks before election
Watch: Retiring Judge Judy Finally Goes Totally Political and It’s the Most Glorious 2 MAGA Minutes of Her Career
US walks out of UN General Assembly as Iranian president decries ‘genocide’ and ‘terrorism’ against Iran
Star of Canceled ‘She-Hulk’ Series Says Actors Are Supposed to Be Political: ‘Artists Are Like Mirrors’
Syrian president bashes Israel for airstrikes during UN speech
Oblivious Politico Makes Humiliating Mistake, Thinks Jewish Wedding Tradition May Be Trump Admin Bribery Scheme
Newsom’s admission that infamous COVID move was ‘insane’ triggers viral fury: ‘We all told you’
Man Who Jumped from Cruise Ship Identified, Was Father of 3 and on 15th Wedding Anniversary Trip with Wife
New Jersey police pull out 3-foot python from woman’s car grille, bodycam video shows
Pro-life leader sounds alarm after doctor gets 6 months for forcing abortion pills on girlfriend
Woke ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson Sees Second Movie Bomb at Box Office in as Many Months
PA Republicans Sound Alarm on Disease Rule Proposal That Would Allow ‘Health Agencies to Enter Any Home’ Without Warrant
Chinese President Xi set to arrive in DC for high-stakes Trump summit and more top headlines
Ex-Democrat shares abortion pill experience that left her ‘hemorrhaging in the bath’
“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.









