Dale Rutledge

In Their Own Words

Twenty-six years Border Patrol, mostly Tucson sector, and I kept a notebook the whole time. Still do. The difference is now the notebook has readers.

I write the count. How many arrested, how many removed, which operations netted which fugitives, and what the numbers actually mean instead of what somebody on TV wishes they meant. When ICE breaks a monthly record I tell you it broke a record and I tell you by how much. When a number gets spun I tell you that too. I have been reading these press releases since most reporters covering them were in grade school, and I know which ones bury the lede on purpose.

Pam Whitlock handles the people side of this beat, the towns and the families and the folks who spent years asking somebody to finally do something. I handle the operations. She thinks I'm too dry about it. I think the numbers don't need dressing up. When a criminal alien who's been deported four times finally goes home for good, the fact is the story.

I'll explain the jargon when it comes up, 287(g), detainers, expedited removal, because you should know what your government is actually doing with your money. And I'll keep the scoreboard honest. That's the whole job.

What I Cover

Connections

• Works alongside Pam Whitlock in Deportation Watch