The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under the Joe Biden Administration, urged Border Patrol agents to implement new rules related to personal pronouns. These measures have been criticized by the agents' union, who consider them an unnecessary distraction at a crucial time for border security.
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) memo revealed by the Heritage Foundation Monitoring Project states that agents should no longer use "he, she" pronouns until they have more information about the individual or the individual has provided their pronoun preferences.
Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, expressed his displeasure with this new directive, calling it an unnecessary distraction at a time when the agency is faced with the daunting task of managing the arrival of millions of illegal immigrants during the Biden Administration.
"We can't be worrying about whether we're going to hurt somebody's feelings," Judd said in an interview on Just the News.
Judd explained that, although it is important to respect the civil rights of immigrants, "this is not a civil rights issue. This is simply a matter of preference." The council president also criticized the fact that these measures were being implemented instead of focusing on applying "actual" laws.
Policing Pronouns: Border agents’ union lambasts latest Biden political correctness order | Just The News https://t.co/raOnQ0wKCD
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) November 24, 2023
"This is insanity"
After the measure was announced, criticism was immediate, and some Republican members of Congress, such as Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles, expressed their outrage on social media.
"This is insanity. Our border is completely overrun and the president is worried the agents might not use some illegal crosser's 'preferred pronouns'? The CBP should only be using 2 pronouns at the border: 'de' and 'port,'" he added.
This is insanity.
Our border is completely overrun and @POTUS is worried the agents might not use some illegal crosser’s ‘preferred pronouns’?
The CBP should only be using 2 pronouns at the border: ‘de’ and ‘port.’https://t.co/rB6LSTJsgB
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) November 22, 2023
Ogles has already initiated efforts to prevent federal agencies and departments from facing penalties for not using an individual's preferred pronouns. He recently joined forces with Senator Ted Cruz to sponsor a bill prohibiting "the use of funds to implement, administer or enforce measures that require certain employees to refer to an individual by their preferred pronouns."
