The U.S. Senate has confirmed Rodney Scott as head of Customs and Border Protection.
Scott formerly served as Border Patrol Chief and currently commands the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) biggest enforcement department, which has approximately 65,000 workers.
CBP consists of two divisions: the Border Patrol, which is in charge of protecting the nation’s borders between ports of entry, and the Office of Field Operations (OFO), which is in charge of security at ports of entry.
Scott was confirmed on a 51-46 party-line vote, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.
Scott was forced out of his post as Border Patrol Chief during the Biden administration after opposing politically motivated changes at CBP. In April 2021, Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller informed Scott that the agency would use the phrase “undocumented immigrant” instead of the legally accurate “illegal alien.”At the time, Chief Scott sent an internal memorandum to Miller arguing that, “The U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) is and must remain an apolitical federal law enforcement agency…Despite every attempt by USBP leadership to ensure that all official messaging remained consistent with law, fact, and evidence, there is no doubt that the reputation of the USBP has suffered because of the many outside voices. Mandating the use of terms which are inconsistent with law has the potential to further erode public trust in our government institutions.”
Scott will retire as Chief of the Border Patrol in August 2021.
After leaving the Border Patrol, Commissioner Scott remained a major advocate on the need to protect our borders, repeatedly calling for a return to Trump-era practices. In the autumn of 2021, he will begin working as a Distinguished Senior Fellow for Border Security at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Scott spoke in front of Congress on many occasions and made countless media appearances advocating for tougher immigration enforcement.
Along with Safe Third Country agreements and the Remain in Mexico program, which requires asylum applicants to wait in Mexico for court proceedings, Scott backed border wall building, which remains a top objective in a second Trump administration.
Commissioner Scott sounded a positive note following the Senate vote. In a statement, Scott said: “I’m honored that the United States Senate has confirmed me, and I want to thank President Trump and Secretary Noem for their trust and unwavering leadership. I started my career on the front lines, and now I am ready to lead my CBP family with integrity and a clear mission to defend our sovereignty, enforce the law, and put America first.”
President Donald Trump likewise praised Scott when announcing his nomination.
“Rodney served nearly three decades in the Border Patrol, building vast experience and knowledge in Law Enforcement and Border Security. Rodney served as the 24th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, where he implemented Remain-in-Mexico, Title 42, Safe Third Agreements, and achieved record low levels of illegal immigration,” Trump said.
Scott’s confirmation comes at a critical time for CBP.
As the country struggles to recover from four years of open-borders policy, the agency plays a crucial role in fulfilling President Trump’s promise to restore order at the border.
In the next weeks and months, FAIR hopes to collaborate closely with the Trump administration and CBP to undo the damage caused by the Biden administration’s practices.
Recently, the Supreme Court approved the Trump administration’s request to pause a lower court injunction that had blocked deportations of individuals to third countries without prior notice.
The decision marks a near-term victory for the administration as it aims to implement its immigration crackdown swiftly.
The Court ruled 6-3 in favor of staying the injunction, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting.
The case involved a group of migrants contesting their deportations to third countries—nations other than their countries of origin.
A Lakeville man was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to one year of probation for his involvement in the massive Feeding Our Future fraud investigation.
Adan admitted to accepting $1,000 in illicit proceeds and was ordered to pay the same amount in restitution, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.
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The $250 million Feeding Our Future case — centered on a St. Anthony nonprofit — is the largest pandemic-era fraud prosecution in the United States. Of the 75 people charged, 50 have entered guilty pleas. Prosecutors say the defendants falsely claimed to have provided millions of meals to children during the COVID-19 pandemic, instead diverting federal reimbursements to purchase luxury cars, real estate, and other high-end goods.
According to court records, Adan and his co-defendants claimed to have served 70,000 meals between December 2020 and April 2021 through Lake Street Kitchen, receiving “significant funds” in return. Federal prosecutors said only a small fraction of those meals were actually distributed.
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Co-defendant Liban Yasin Alishire, who co-operated Lake Street Kitchen and another site, Community Enhancement Services, received more than $1.6 million and pleaded guilty in 2023.
Meanwhile, a former campaign associate of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) pleaded guilty last month to participating in the same scam, adding another chapter to the growing list of controversies surrounding the progressive lawmaker’s political orbit.
Federal prosecutors announced that 49-year-old Guhaad Hashi Said — described by Alpha News as an “enforcer” for Omar’s campaign — admitted in court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges stem from a wide-ranging fraud targeting a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The conviction many in the Feeding Our Future case is yet another reminder of the vast reach of this fraud and the scale of the crisis we face in Minnesota,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said in a statement. “These crimes are not isolated events. They are part of a web of schemes targeting programs that are intended to lift up Minnesotans and bleeding them dry.
“From where I sit, the scale of the fraud in Minnesota is staggering, and every rock we turn over reveals more. We must be honest and clear-eyed about the scope of this problem, because ending it will take an unyielding, all-hands-on-deck effort from all of us,” Thompson added.
According to court documents, between December 2020 and January 2022, Said exploited the Federal Child Nutrition Program, falsely claiming his nonprofit — Advance Youth Athletic Development — was serving thousands of meals daily to underprivileged children. Incorporated in February 2021, the organization was registered to a residential apartment in the Central Avenue Lofts in Minneapolis.
Beginning in March 2021, Said submitted meal count sheets claiming to have served 5,000 meals per day. From March through December of that year, he claimed to have served more than 1 million meals — but in reality provided only a fraction of that number. Prosecutors say he fabricated meal counts, attendance rosters, and invoices to secure reimbursements.
The scheme brought in roughly $2.9 million in federal funds. Between August and December 2021, Said transferred more than $2.1 million from his organization’s bank accounts to a catering business, ostensibly for food purchases, while using other proceeds to buy real estate, cars, and personal items through a network of shell nonprofits and LLCs, the DOJ said.
Said now faces up to 25 years in federal prison when sentenced. He previously ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018.