Recently, country music legend Willie Nelson is honoring the hard-working border patrol agents with the release of his newest single, “The Border,” a cover of the 2019 song by Rodney Crowell. The song is part of Willie Nelson’s upcoming album, set to be released on May 31, which bears the same name.
In his cover of Crowell’s song, Nelson offers the perspective of an officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “There’s a price on the head of every border patrol,” he says in the song. “Where the smugglers do business, that’s where I make a stand.” Another verse in the song features the line, “I come home to Maria in a bulletproof vest, with the weight of the whole wide world bearing down on my chest.”
However, Nelson’s apparent desire to address the various problems at the United States’ southern border comes to the surprise of many since the musician endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election. At the time, an essential facet of Biden’s agenda was to undo the border-related policies of the Trump administration.
For example, Biden promised to “end prolonged detention” and “enable migrants to live in dignity and safety while awaiting their court hearings.” However, after several years of unfettered illegal immigration with mounting consequences, it appears Nelson is singing a different tune, so to speak.
Ahead of the upcoming election later this year, the border crisis will likely become one of the most critical issues. President Biden has been endlessly criticized for what many describe as a lack of action to secure the border from the nearly 7 million illegal immigrants, according to some estimates, that have entered the country under his administration.
The American Tribune covered recent reports from an Air Force general that warned of a new potential threat at the southern border. During a recent hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot explained to lawmakers that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are crossing the border at an alarming rate.
According to the general, nearly 1000 UAVs per month are crossing the border, likely being used in criminal activity. “I’ve talked to Customs and Border Protection, who are responsible for the UAS incursions on the border, along with DOJ. And they put the number at thousands,” Guillot said.
San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke claimed that drug cartels and human traffickers are using these unmanned drones to surveil border patrol agents. “Human smugglers using drones to surveil the Border Patrol is a growing trend that we’ve observed along the border, he said. “This technology provides transnational criminal organizations with new capability that they are eager to exploit.”
The chief border patrol agent further called attention the number of Chinese nationals that are crossing the border at high rates. “The number of Chinese that are coming across the border is a big concern of mine. In fact, in the short period of time that I’ve been in command, I’ve gone down to the southern border to talk to the agents and leadership about that. And then I’ve also spoken with the acting commissioner of the CBP on this subject,” Heitke added.
Listen to Willie’s new song here:
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