Wow! What a compelling article—it's refreshing to see this level of insight into the issue. As someone who's spent several decades working the line from Tijuana to Mexicali, I've witnessed the same rigid mindset firsthand: "We need to follow orders, men. I may not like them, you may not like them, but they're coming straight from HQ." It's a refrain that's echoed through administrations, turning dedicated agents into unwilling pawns in political games.
Take the Clinton era, for instance. Leadership was instructed to shut down all ground sensors from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night. We were confined to our watch positions, with only one 15-minute bathroom break and 30 minutes for lunch. But we weren't about to let that stop us. We'd time our breaks perfectly, slip away to chase down the got-aways, load up several vans with apprehensions, and hustle back to our spots. Then, after a deliberate 45-minute wait, we'd radio for transport. Our watch commanders would erupt in fury, scrambling to explain the sudden spike in entries/arrests at supposedly "still-watch" deterrence positions—all happening on our lunch breaks, no less.
We even went rogue one step further: We crafted a fake memo from the chief, ordering dispatch to reactivate the sensors, and posted it during the watch commander's off-duty hours. He lost it over the radio—every word recorded for posterity. That audio became key evidence in our "Operation Gatekeeper" whistleblower complaint. Of course, retaliation followed. Those of us involved were saddled with the worst assignments—dangerous, mind-numbing posts designed to break our spirit. Instead, it fueled our resolve. All of this charade was to fulfill a political promise: "The border is under control, entries and apprehensions are down." The Clinton administration touted those stats as victories, even as we knew the truth was the exact opposite. Treasonous deception like this has plagued the border for decades, with men and women in uniform sacrificed on the altar of politics.
I retired shortly after the Obama administration. During those years, the USBP union threw its support behind Trump for good reason—chief among them, the rampant human trafficking. We'd see the same children recycled for quick releases within 24 hours of apprehension, often in the same clothes but with a different "parent" in new locations. We suspected many had been kidnapped or bought by smuggling rings. Our pleas for DNA testing to nail the traffickers? Shot down by D.C. attorneys, who claimed it would violate the kids' rights. The evil of it all was staggering. Brave leaders who pushed back were sidelined or forced into retirement over Obama's eight years. The people left in leadership would put their grandmother in a furnace for the next GS promotion.... seriously.
When the union finally endorsed Trump, the Democrat-controlled House and Senate struck back with the FLSA pay reform—a petty retaliation for not backing Hillary, in my view. It gutted the "high three" retirement rule, slashing pensions by up to 25% for those on the cusp of retiring, all under the guise of cutting "fraud, waste, and abuse." The message to the field was clear: Cross us, and pay the price. Morale cratered, rippling through agents and management alike. Good people disengaged, though not everyone gave up. We've always been pawns, but some administrations were far worse than others. Post-9/11 reforms brought real change, only for Obama to unravel them.
Love him or hate him, Trump kept his word on border promises, battling sabotage from Congress, Obama holdovers in leadership, the Democratic Party, and DHS lawyers at every turn. His policies aimed to succeed where others failed. Then came Biden's four years—a dementia-fueled criminal enterprise that erased two decades of progress in keeping out the truly dangerous elements. With removal processes dragging on for years (sometimes decades), I fear the damage is irreversible, compounded by propaganda, willful ignorance, and outright treason.
I have a Substack where I occasionally dive into topics like communism, corruption, immigration, and national security. I've been following your work for a while now—thank you for shining a light on these issues, alongside others doing the same. The pressures from above can bend behavior, but in the field, we adapt, improvise, and overcome. That spirit has always been our edge against the corrupt, paycheck-driven players, and in the long run, it can sabotage their schemes. Keep fighting the good fight.
Am glad to be a new supporter of Michael's work. The state I've lived in all my adult life has truly fallen into enemy hands. Daily life is a constant battle against professional provocateurs. Their job is to bully, coerce, defame, harass, intimidate and retaliate. Gross negligence in state government has allowed billions in tax dollars to used in fraud schemes that are likely funding domestic terrorists. Will still speak to those I can, as long as I am able.
We have never spoken. I asked a based and seemingly authentic, popular blogger Dr Malik if he has considered inviting you to join him, he replied that you didn't respond to his request. Can you confirm/deny or more interestingly, is there a reason for not responding?
It is crazy to have someone as special as General Erik Kurilla, fall off his moral pedestal. Sep 18, 2025 U.S. Army Sergent Boone Cutler, dies at 45 yrs old. Loosing heros physically & metaphorically.
Michael, I like you was saddened. It was back in the 70s when the army decided to jump in with both feet on the affermitive action nonsense that I believe was a major impact on the moral of our military. I couldn't just follow orders and chose to leave. We have been under attack for the better part of a century now. It will take "men" to bring us back from the brink if it is achieved. Blessings
Ahhh but you are sooo correct...Biden Obama have ruined USA 🇺🇲 I know the service men have to follow orders or be court marshaled.. it takes real guts to look into BidenObama and find an ounce of respect to even listen to them .. I've heard it said...my Allegiance is to United States of America and the FLAG 🦅🇺🇲🦅🗽⚖️still... strength and courage to follow orders when you know they will cause harm to my fellow man or country.. Michael I want to Thank You for bringing me to the front lines in war zones... I admire your courage to be there...boots on the ground...or in the air..
Incredible story Michael. Thank you for writing it and sharing it on your recent post, as I missed this one back in 2023. You are a true patriot. Thank you for calling a spade, a spade. As we know, 2 + 2 will never equal 5, no matter how much they try to manipulate us and inject us with death jabs. It is truly a sad day when a warrior like General Kurilla turns his back on his oath. Same for General's Mattis and Kelly. Both men that I used to respect. Kelly, who lost a son in the "overseas contingency operation", aka, the "war on terror" yet still continued to shill for the MIC.
what the heck are you talking about ? IN CIRCLES / INUENDOES / EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS THAT ERIC IS NOW DOING AND OUR MILITARY IS TURNING AGAINST US ???? I WISH YOU FOLKS ON THE PROGRAMS WOULD BE PLAIN AND OUTSPOKEN . TELL IT LIKE IT IS THAT YOU SUPPOSEDLY KNOW WHAT "IT IS"
Years of service...shit canned, the day he didn't stand up for his brothers. He gave an UNLAWFUL order and must be held accountable! Soldiers have been murdered and maimed under his command. He must answer for it!
Covid and the Death Jab was the great Litmus Test of our generation. Like how the Nazis was for the German people in the 1930s. Covid and the death jabs showed us all who we could trust and who would just follow orders. Myself I can easily count the amount of people I could trust on one hand. Most people in my life failed that test miserably.
Wow! What a compelling article—it's refreshing to see this level of insight into the issue. As someone who's spent several decades working the line from Tijuana to Mexicali, I've witnessed the same rigid mindset firsthand: "We need to follow orders, men. I may not like them, you may not like them, but they're coming straight from HQ." It's a refrain that's echoed through administrations, turning dedicated agents into unwilling pawns in political games.
Take the Clinton era, for instance. Leadership was instructed to shut down all ground sensors from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night. We were confined to our watch positions, with only one 15-minute bathroom break and 30 minutes for lunch. But we weren't about to let that stop us. We'd time our breaks perfectly, slip away to chase down the got-aways, load up several vans with apprehensions, and hustle back to our spots. Then, after a deliberate 45-minute wait, we'd radio for transport. Our watch commanders would erupt in fury, scrambling to explain the sudden spike in entries/arrests at supposedly "still-watch" deterrence positions—all happening on our lunch breaks, no less.
We even went rogue one step further: We crafted a fake memo from the chief, ordering dispatch to reactivate the sensors, and posted it during the watch commander's off-duty hours. He lost it over the radio—every word recorded for posterity. That audio became key evidence in our "Operation Gatekeeper" whistleblower complaint. Of course, retaliation followed. Those of us involved were saddled with the worst assignments—dangerous, mind-numbing posts designed to break our spirit. Instead, it fueled our resolve. All of this charade was to fulfill a political promise: "The border is under control, entries and apprehensions are down." The Clinton administration touted those stats as victories, even as we knew the truth was the exact opposite. Treasonous deception like this has plagued the border for decades, with men and women in uniform sacrificed on the altar of politics.
I retired shortly after the Obama administration. During those years, the USBP union threw its support behind Trump for good reason—chief among them, the rampant human trafficking. We'd see the same children recycled for quick releases within 24 hours of apprehension, often in the same clothes but with a different "parent" in new locations. We suspected many had been kidnapped or bought by smuggling rings. Our pleas for DNA testing to nail the traffickers? Shot down by D.C. attorneys, who claimed it would violate the kids' rights. The evil of it all was staggering. Brave leaders who pushed back were sidelined or forced into retirement over Obama's eight years. The people left in leadership would put their grandmother in a furnace for the next GS promotion.... seriously.
When the union finally endorsed Trump, the Democrat-controlled House and Senate struck back with the FLSA pay reform—a petty retaliation for not backing Hillary, in my view. It gutted the "high three" retirement rule, slashing pensions by up to 25% for those on the cusp of retiring, all under the guise of cutting "fraud, waste, and abuse." The message to the field was clear: Cross us, and pay the price. Morale cratered, rippling through agents and management alike. Good people disengaged, though not everyone gave up. We've always been pawns, but some administrations were far worse than others. Post-9/11 reforms brought real change, only for Obama to unravel them.
Love him or hate him, Trump kept his word on border promises, battling sabotage from Congress, Obama holdovers in leadership, the Democratic Party, and DHS lawyers at every turn. His policies aimed to succeed where others failed. Then came Biden's four years—a dementia-fueled criminal enterprise that erased two decades of progress in keeping out the truly dangerous elements. With removal processes dragging on for years (sometimes decades), I fear the damage is irreversible, compounded by propaganda, willful ignorance, and outright treason.
I have a Substack where I occasionally dive into topics like communism, corruption, immigration, and national security. I've been following your work for a while now—thank you for shining a light on these issues, alongside others doing the same. The pressures from above can bend behavior, but in the field, we adapt, improvise, and overcome. That spirit has always been our edge against the corrupt, paycheck-driven players, and in the long run, it can sabotage their schemes. Keep fighting the good fight.
Am glad to be a new supporter of Michael's work. The state I've lived in all my adult life has truly fallen into enemy hands. Daily life is a constant battle against professional provocateurs. Their job is to bully, coerce, defame, harass, intimidate and retaliate. Gross negligence in state government has allowed billions in tax dollars to used in fraud schemes that are likely funding domestic terrorists. Will still speak to those I can, as long as I am able.
"Their job is to bully, coerce, defame, harass, intimidate and retaliate."
Brainless, Spineless so called wannabes are incapable of rational debate.
No different to the wannabes currently running/desperately trying to control the five eyed nations. Sicko Sobs. Wake Up Sheeple.
No taboos here. No censors. Michael has a thick shell. Annealed in the fire of close combat.
Trading his rifle for a camera. He shoots straight and true. You best do the same, there policy wonks.
They gave up on us without knowing us or our capabilites.
Hello Michael,
We have never spoken. I asked a based and seemingly authentic, popular blogger Dr Malik if he has considered inviting you to join him, he replied that you didn't respond to his request. Can you confirm/deny or more interestingly, is there a reason for not responding?
Love your work.
It is crazy to have someone as special as General Erik Kurilla, fall off his moral pedestal. Sep 18, 2025 U.S. Army Sergent Boone Cutler, dies at 45 yrs old. Loosing heros physically & metaphorically.
Why did this show up this morning?
A good reminder to not underestimate one's enemies.
Michael, I like you was saddened. It was back in the 70s when the army decided to jump in with both feet on the affermitive action nonsense that I believe was a major impact on the moral of our military. I couldn't just follow orders and chose to leave. We have been under attack for the better part of a century now. It will take "men" to bring us back from the brink if it is achieved. Blessings
That must have been hard as hell to post. Especially seeing how the truth seems to destroy a lot of people.
Ahhh but you are sooo correct...Biden Obama have ruined USA 🇺🇲 I know the service men have to follow orders or be court marshaled.. it takes real guts to look into BidenObama and find an ounce of respect to even listen to them .. I've heard it said...my Allegiance is to United States of America and the FLAG 🦅🇺🇲🦅🗽⚖️still... strength and courage to follow orders when you know they will cause harm to my fellow man or country.. Michael I want to Thank You for bringing me to the front lines in war zones... I admire your courage to be there...boots on the ground...or in the air..
Incredible story Michael. Thank you for writing it and sharing it on your recent post, as I missed this one back in 2023. You are a true patriot. Thank you for calling a spade, a spade. As we know, 2 + 2 will never equal 5, no matter how much they try to manipulate us and inject us with death jabs. It is truly a sad day when a warrior like General Kurilla turns his back on his oath. Same for General's Mattis and Kelly. Both men that I used to respect. Kelly, who lost a son in the "overseas contingency operation", aka, the "war on terror" yet still continued to shill for the MIC.
God Bless you, Michael Yon.
what the heck are you talking about ? IN CIRCLES / INUENDOES / EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS THAT ERIC IS NOW DOING AND OUR MILITARY IS TURNING AGAINST US ???? I WISH YOU FOLKS ON THE PROGRAMS WOULD BE PLAIN AND OUTSPOKEN . TELL IT LIKE IT IS THAT YOU SUPPOSEDLY KNOW WHAT "IT IS"
Above all, beware the black fedora......
Years of service...shit canned, the day he didn't stand up for his brothers. He gave an UNLAWFUL order and must be held accountable! Soldiers have been murdered and maimed under his command. He must answer for it!
Covid and the Death Jab was the great Litmus Test of our generation. Like how the Nazis was for the German people in the 1930s. Covid and the death jabs showed us all who we could trust and who would just follow orders. Myself I can easily count the amount of people I could trust on one hand. Most people in my life failed that test miserably.