Border agent slams Biden's 'political stunt' vax mandate, says it will make border crisis worse

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A Border Patrol agent and NRA life member is requesting to meet with President Biden to show him how the vaccine mandate for Border Patrol agents will weaken national security if the agents are fired. 

"The federal government is demanding that I either undergo a force vaccination or lose their livelihood that puts food on my family's table. That's my so-called choice. But this isn't just about me. The border crisis is worse than you can imagine. And if hundreds, even thousands of Border Patrol agents are terminated, it will impact every single American, including my own family here in the Rio Grande Valley," 13-year Border Patrol agent Roy Cantu said in a video published by the NRA. 

The Biden administration announced in September that all federal workers must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22 or face termination. A senior official at Customs and Border Protection recently said that "counseling letters" have been sent to employees who rejected getting the vaccine, which puts them "on notice."

"A counseling letter puts an employee on notice," the senior CBP official told the Intercept this month. "Counseling letters set the stage — management can say, ‘Hey, we told you you are going to be subject to discipline for failing to follow instructions.’"

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Cantu called the mandate a "political stunt" and said if the border is not secure, "every state" is at risk of becoming "a border state with illegal immigrants committing violent crimes."

"Mr. President, with all due respect, you've never been to the border. If you truly respect the work the Border Patrol does for this country, I humbly request that you agree to sit down and meet with me. So I can show you just how bad the situation is and explain why terminating agents will be a disaster for national security," Cantu says in the video. 

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Border Patrol agent Roy Cantu requests a meeting with President Biden on the  vaccine mandate and discusses the importance of the Second Amendment. (NRA) (NRA )

In one personal incident for Cantu and his family, illegal immigrants recently broke into his house in the middle of the night while he was at work, according to the video. His wife only had a samurai sword and her Chihuahua dog to scare off the suspects, who were reportedly looking to steal Cantu's uniforms.

Now, the entire family is armed to protect themselves. 

"It's your responsibility to protect yourself and your family. Utilize your Second Amendment," Cantu says. 

NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre told Fox News Digital that Cantu "embodies the spirit of service that many of our members share."

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"He was awarded the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery for courageous acts in the service of others. The NRA is proud to count him among our ranks," LaPierre said. 

Wayne LaPierre, NRA vice president and CEO, speaks to guests at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 148th NRA Annual Meetings Exhibits on April 26, 2019, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Seventy-nine percent of Border Patrol’s 21,393 employees were vaccinated as of Nov. 17. The border crisis continued overwhelming agents as the mandate rolled out, with the Rio Grande Valley sector alone reporting more than 100,000 illegal encounters from Oct. 1 to the start of December. In November, Customs and Border Protection figures show agents reported 173,620 encounters at the border, a 140% increase from 2020. 

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A group of 62 Republicans sounded off on the mandate for the agents last month, demanding Biden halt the requirement and protect national security by keeping the agents in their jobs. 

"We have serious concerns about your vaccine mandate for Federal employees and how it will impact the already understaffed and overworked United States Border Patrol and our overall national security," the Republicans, led by Rep. Elise Stefanik, said in the letter to Biden obtained by Fox News.

President Biden speaks about the COVID-19 variant named omicron in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, in Washington, as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"Despite these staffing issues, thousands of Border Patrol agents are at risk of losing their jobs because of your ill-conceived policy," they said. "This mandate is wholly incongruent with the principles of individual choice and medical freedom, puts families in our districts at risk of financial ruin, and threatens our national security by flooding our communities with undocumented, unvetted migrants." 

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The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment on Cantu’s remarks and his call to meet with the president.