It wasn’t until sanctuary cities began buckling under the weight of the thousands of illegal immigrants flooding their streets that Democrats began to acknowledge the crisis at our southern border. NYC Mayor Eric Adams was one of the first Democrat critics of Biden’s border policy — he visited the border, met with Mexican officials, and called on the Biden Administration to address the problem.

Now the border is shaping up to be a major 2024 campaign issue. Democrats put forth a so-called border security bill that did nothing to secure the border; instead, it codified into law a daily quota of 5,000 asylum seekers, or, 1.8 million per year. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has put together a detailed implementation plan to deport the millions of asylum seekers who have entered the U.S. in the past 3 years.

Chris T. Clem, a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol, will join EmpowerU to discuss the current state of the southern U.S. border. Topics we’ll address include the Biden Administration’s policies that are facilitating the border problem, DHS Director Mayorkas’ contribution to the problem, how the flood of migrants is impacting communities around the country, the risk we may experience acts of terror resulting from lax vetting procedures, the politicization of the crisis, and Trump’s deportation plan.

ABOUT CHRIS CLEM
Chris T. Clem is the former Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol in Yuma, AZ. Chief Clem retired on December 31, 2022, after serving more than 27 1/2 years with the U.S Border Patrol. Chief Clem served in multiple locations throughout his career and in key leadership positions across the southern border and in Washington, D.C. Known for his matter of fact and honest approach, Chief Clem has been on the frontline in the border crisis in both El Paso, Texas and most recently Yuma, Arizona. Chief Clem has not only been a leader and innovator on border security issues, but he has also led several mental health and resiliency efforts for his employees. Chief Clem has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2018 until his retirement.

Chief Clem has a B.S and M.S. from Sam Houston State University and is certified from the Harvard Kennedy School for Senior Managers in Government.