As a Latino American and a former law enforcement officer with nearly 40 years of service, I was personally insulted by remarks from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressing concern — even sadness — about the growing number of Hispanics joining the U.S. Border Patrol.
In a CNN interview, she called the record number of Latino Border Patrol agents “sad” and suggested they will “have a difficult time” when they experience the realities of their job. She further stated their “primary incentive is financial,” reducing their service to economic desperation rather than professionalism or commitment.
Those comments did more than miss the mark. They cast doubt on the integrity and motives of Latino men and women who take an oath to uphold the law and protect the public, often at great personal sacrifice.
I offer this perspective not as an outsider, but as someone who has lived this profession. I served 25 years with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department. I was honored to serve as President of the National Latino Peace Officers Association and serve on the Executive Board of the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association. I have worked alongside officers of every race, ethnicity, and background.
In all those years, I never once saw race determine whether an officer did their job honorably.
Latino officers arrest Latino criminals. Black officers arrest Black criminals. Female officers arrest female criminals.
That is not bias — that is professionalism. Crime does not belong to one community, and neither does accountability. Suggesting that Latino officers are somehow conflicted or less capable of enforcing the law against people who share their background fundamentally misunderstands the oath officers swear.
The implication behind the mayor’s remarks is troubling. It suggests that identity should influence enforcement or that shared ethnicity clouds judgment. That assumption is not only wrong — it is offensive to the thousands of Latino officers who have served honorably for generations.
And the facts tell a very different story.
Today, more than half of all U.S. Border Patrol agents are Hispanic. They are the backbone of the mission and serve with distinction. Most agents are assigned to the Southern Border, where 85–90% of staffing has historically been concentrated because that is where the mission demands it. The communities they serve are overwhelmingly Hispanic — in many border counties, 60% to 90% of residents are Latino.
Given that reality, it should surprise no one that so many Border Patrol agents are Hispanic. Just as major urban police departments benefit from having Black officers who reflect the communities they serve, the Border Patrol benefits from agents who bring cultural and linguistic strengths to the job. Shared background is not a conflict of interest — it is an asset that improves communication, trust, and public safety.
Latino men and women join law enforcement not because they are conflicted or desperate, but because they want to serve. They protect neighborhoods they grew up in. They build trust across cultural lines. They enforce the law fairly and professionally, just like their colleagues of every background.
Public officials are free to debate immigration policy. What they should not do is undermine the legitimacy of those who enforce the law — especially when those individuals reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
Words matter. When leaders frame the service of Latino officers as regrettable or suspect, they discourage qualified candidates, deepen divisions, and weaken public confidence at a time when unity and professionalism are needed most.
Latino officers are not a sad story. They are a proud tradition of service. And they deserve respect, not rhetoric that divides.
Louis F. Quijas is a 36-year law enforcement veteran and a former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He is a past president of the National Latino Peace Officers Association and currently serves on the Law Enforcement Advisory Council of Citizens Behind the Badge
