By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
President Trump’s hardline attitude toward immigration has helped boot morale among border patrol agents, according to the union representing the agents.
“There’s definitely been a shift in attitude, different shift in expectations, agents are feeling empowered to do their job. We see a President who is enforcing laws already on the books,” said Art Del Cueto, president of the Local 2544 border patrol union, according to ABC15.com.
The union representing the agents endorsed Trump during the presidential election.
Del Cuerto said agents felt they were “handcuffed” under President Obama’s administration and were frustrated with “catch and release” policies that put undocumented immigrants back onto the streets until their day in court.
Those policies, Del Cuerto said, encouraged immigrants not to show up at hearings.
“If they didn’t have any prior [arrests] you would basically release them back out into the shadows, even though they didn’t have any documentation to be here in the country legally,” said Del Cueto.
