Former Chief of U.S. Border Patrol Joins TPPF as Distinguished Senior Fellow for Border Security

Washington, D.C.—The Texas Public Policy Foundation, the nation’s largest and most influential state-based think tank, announced the addition of recently retired U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as Distinguished Senior Fellow for Border Security.

The appointment of Mr. Scott to TPPF, where he will provide analysis and recommendations on both federal and state border security efforts, comes as TPPF continues to ramp up its Right on Immigration initiative, which includes a broad-based Border Security Coalition that highlights policies that secure the border.

“As we grapple with the challenges the current border crisis is presenting to Texas and other states, we could have no better addition to our team than Rodney Scott,” said John Hostettler, TPPF Vice President of Federal Affairs and former Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims. “During his decades of service in the Border Patrol, under both Republican and Democrat administrations, Chief Scott earned the respect and admiration of agents, colleagues and partners alike while working to successfully enforce our nation’s laws and secure our borders,” Hostettler added. “We look forward to taking full advantage of his expertise as we focus on both the federal and state policies that are necessary to achieve these goals.”

“With nearly two-thirds of America’s southwestern border, Texas has a huge stake, as does the entire nation, in getting border security right,” said Scott. “It is foundational to an immigration system that puts America’s interests first, including upholding national sovereignty and ensuring public safety. I look forward to being a part of TPPF’s critically important efforts in this arena,” Scott added.

Prior to joining TPPF, from January 24, 2020 to August 14, 2021, Scott served as the 24th Chief of the United States Border Patrol. Since first joining the Border Patrol in 1992, his assignments included serving as Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro (California) Sector, Assistant Chief in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Anti-Terrorism and Director of the Incident Management and Operations Coordination Division at CBP Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Former Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan called Scott “the absolute embodiment of the U.S. Border Patrol’s motto, ‘Honor First.’”