Republican presidential contender Donald Trump said he still plans to visit the border without the union. Stephen B. Morton/AP
Federal Employee Union Backs Out of Giving Donald Trump a Tour at the Border
Group does about-face with The Donald.
A union representing federal employees has reversed course on giving a tour of its work area to Donald Trump, saying it does not want to give the appearance of an endorsement.
The National Border Patrol Council’s Local 2455, which represents BP agents in Laredo, Texas, originally agreed to give the billionaire and controversial Republican presidential candidate a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border to show him the situation on the ground. The union abruptly pulled out of that agreement, however, after “communicating with members of the NBPC at the national level.” NBPC is a division of the American Federation of Government Employees.
“An endorsement was never discussed for any presidential candidate. Local 2455 does not endorse candidates for any political office,” said Hector Garza, the local's president, in a statement Thursday. “For these reasons, Local 2455 will not participate in any events with Mr. Trump.”
The intention behind the tour, Garza said, was to give Trump -- and the members of the media that follow him -- a “boots on the ground” perspective.
“Our purpose is to support and protect the men and women who protect our borders,” Garza said. “Make no mistake, our border with Mexico is not secure and there’s no doubt that we need to have an honest discussion about that with the American people.”
Trump created a firestorm when discussing immigration issues during his presidential campaign launch, accusing those crossing the border of being rapists and murderers. He vowed to proceed to visit the border despite the union’s rejection.