SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Rodney Scott, the former head of San Diego's Border Patrol sector who now serves as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will visit San Diego Saturday alongside President-elect Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan to discuss increased border security measures.
ABC 10News has covered Scott and the agency's work under his leadership for years. This past June, he became the head of Customs and Border Protection after his nomination and confirmation earlier this year, making him the first patrol agent to ever take on the role.
When ABC 10News spoke with him in 2020, Scott had just taken over as U.S. Border Patrol Chief during Trump's first term. He said San Ysidro, which has the busiest land port of entry in the Western Hemisphere, had come a long way since he first arrived to serve as San Diego Sector Chief in 2017.
"Housing developments are being built, shopping malls are coming in, and we've kind of proven what it takes to secure the border. And I want to take it to Washington, D.C. and continue to expand it out nationwide," Scott said.
Scott spent over 29 years with the U.S. Border Patrol, starting his career in Imperial Beach and quickly rising through the ranks before becoming the sector chief in San Diego in 2017.
"It's all about balance, trying to balance the safety and security with everything this country stands for," Scott said during one of our multiple interviews during his time as chief.
Scott welcomed President Donald Trump to San Diego in 2018, when the pair toured border wall prototypes as the government decided what design was best for the new barrier.
"What I told the president was this is what we've been able to prove with the concept of wall systems, however to make it last we need to upgrade it with materials that match with the threat we have today," Scott said.
He took a hard-line approach on illegal immigration. While chief in San Diego, Scott closed what some called the "Door of Hope" after finding out a groom in a wedding at the wall had attempted to smuggle drugs in the past. The man's record was not discovered in a DHS background check before the ceremony.
"Opening that gate, it's not good for anybody anyway. It's not a port of entry," Scott said.
Once opened occasionally for families to hug and spend time together at the wall, the Door of Hope remains closed seven years later.
Scott was the acting deputy chief patrol agent in San Diego when Anastasio Hernandez-Rojas died at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Hernandez-Rojas was beaten and tased while in Border Patrol custody. Scott was accused of playing a role in the alleged cover-up, something he has always strongly denied. No agents or officers were ever charged with any wrongdoing.
By 2020, the Border Patrol veteran was promoted to chief of the entire agency. He retired in 2021 but returned to government service this year with his confirmation as CBP Commissioner.
Scott has been a strong supporter of Trump's border policies throughout his career, though he has also faced intense scrutiny from critics.
Saturday marks his return to San Diego, this time as Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.
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