ICE has low morale.

An historical look at what causes low morale in immigration enforcement agencies.

A recent report from the U.K.’s Independent suggests that Border Patrol and ICE morale is low. Throughout my years researching the Border Patrol, I came across many articles about agents suffering from low morale. Lest you think they are sad because they are violating their oath to the constitution or because they are killing innocent people, let’s explore the historical record of what makes these agents sad. 

In July 1975, Border Patrol agents suffered low morale because the Supreme Court limited their authorities at checkpoints. The court stated agents could not stop vehicles unless they suspected they contained undocumented persons. The court also banned warrantless searches by Border Patrol agents as it violated the Constitution. Morale plummeted.

In April 1978, they were sad because they did not have enough resources and management would not let them do what they wanted.

1978 saw another round of low morale in September. Only this time, they claimed it was at a record low. Why? Three agents were charged for violating the civil rights of a man they believed to be a smuggler after beating him. Even though the case was dropped like the vast majority, the agents were still unhappy saying the charges were “political.”

In 1979, immigration agents were suffering from low morale because they could not get more funding, resources, equipment and the federal government considered building them a wall. They also had low morale because they said no one liked them or their brutal tactics. The biggest drop in morale was blamed on people demanding accountability for the rapes and murders committed by agents.

Most recently in 2023 during the Biden Administration, Border Patrol agents suffered a serious bought of low morale when they were ordered to cut migrants and their children out of the razor wire set out by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. According to one agent, “Sucks I had to help with cutting and moving the razor wire earlier; demoralizing.”

In May 2024, Border Patrol agents were contemplating suicide because they were forced to pick up the dead bodies of men, women and children seeking asylum; deaths that were intentionally caused by the deterrence policies supported and demanded by these same agents for over thirty years. Deaths that these same agents joke about and call floaters when found in the Rio Grande River.

And now, they are suffering again. This time the low morale is because Americans will not let them ram cars indiscriminately, rip people from their homes without warrants, steal their children from schools or shoot Americans dead in the street for videoing their brutality. “It’s completely unfair to the agents who have been put in this position,” one immigration officer stated. 

Yes, because in the world of immigration enforcement, the only victims are the agents. 

The truth is, every time someone tries to hold these agents accountable, the media comes out with a boo-hoo story of how low their morale is as if these agents are the real victims. But the videos do not lie. We saw the agent clapping when they killed Alex Pretti. We heard the ecstatic glee of the agents comparing shooting chemical weapons at American citizens to the Call of Duty game. We heard ICE agent Jonathan Ross say, “Fucking BITCH,” after killing Renee Good. We read the court transcripts of the Border Patrol agent telling Marimar Martinez just before shooting her five times, “Do something BITCH!”

The low morale and sadness has nothing to do with the brutality and death they dish out and everything to do with not wanting to be held accountable. Like a true abuser, Chief Gregory Bovino said the quiet part out loud; it is they who are the victims.