Father, Veteran, Mentor, and U.S Border Patrol Advocate.In this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus is honored to host Vince “Rocco” Vargas, a multi-talented individual with a rich background in military service that spans three combat deployments with the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, a decade of service with the U.S. Border Patrol, and his current roles as an entrepreneur, author, actor, writer, and producer.
His unique perspective as a military veteran and federal agent sets the stage for a deeper understanding of the issues at the U.S./Mexico border.
Vince is also an author, and his book, “Borderline: Defending the Home Front,” serves as both a memoir and a critical examination of the U.S. Border Patrol. The narrative combines personal experiences with the extensive history of the organization, shedding light on a frequently misunderstood government agency. Vince paints a comprehensive picture of the challenges faced by those tasked with securing the U.S. borders.
Sponsors:
– GoodRX.com/TNQ
– vincentroccovargas.com
Photo Cred:
– IMDb
In this episode you will hear:
• To apply for the Border Patrol is a 2-year process. Once you get in, it still takes two years to become a journeyman. After testing and field training, you’re eligible for the programs that the Border Patrol has. (9:52)
• Bortac is the tactical unit of the border Patrol. They are the swat team of the Border Patrol. (10:47)
Borstar are the para rescue jumpers of the Border Patrol – search trauma rescue medics. (10:58)
• It’s incredible to see how overwhelmed they [Border Patrol] are at the moment. The morale of the Border Patrol is pretty low. (16:04)
• Too many people want to blame the Border Patrol for everything. In our immigration system, the Border Patrol’s only job is to apprehend any individuals crossing the border illegally. (16:50)
• In this book, “Borderline: Defending the Home Front,” I tell my story as a Border Patrol agent in detail to humanize the badge. These are Americans who have chosen to defend our nation on our own soil. (18:04)
• So you have 20,000 people coming across saying “Political Asylum.” Then we take them in and investigate that. There’s no system in place that can house that many individuals. There’s no system to hold them for the time being till they determine who’s actually a political asylum case and who’s not. (21:19)
• So we have to host all these individuals, find a way to feed the, give them medical attention, and hold them as if they’re seeking asylum until we can determine if it’s real or not. (22:56)
• I’m not against immigration, but the part of what’s in place now is immigration policy and we have to protect our nation, but we also have to be a nation that is gracious towards immigration. (22:24)
• To see the number of murderers, rapists, and pedophiles that we actually catch – it’s pretty intimidating to think to think of how many we actually miss.
Seeking asylum means that they have critical fear for their life. It’s a blanket statement to help people come across illegally, and right now it’s working. It shouldn’t be. (30:17)
• [Melanie] Kids under the age of 13, by our policy, are not allowed to be fingerprinted or DNA, which to me is legalizing human trafficking. (31:37)
• There’s been a massive influx in the Del Rio Sector. Close to 11, 000 have come across in the past ten days (37:01)
• If I can be here to do the righteous thing for our country, for my God and for my family, I hope to teach them [my children] in the same sense. (41:45)
