Retired Border Patrol agents on Wednesday accused Democrat U.S. Senate candidate from Missouri Lucas Kunce of “stolen valor” after he claimed to have been “certified by the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC),” a certification he could not have.
Kunce released an ad in August in which he claimed that he “trained with the border patrol at our southern border” and is “certified by the Border Patrol Tactical Unit.”
However, retired Border Patrol agents have disputed Kunce’s claim, saying there is no way he could have been certified by BORTAC.
BORTAC is an elite unit compromising less than one percent of the border patrol that engages in “high-risk incidents requiring specialized skills and tactics.” BORTAC is headquartered in El Paso, Texas, with active teams stationed nationwide.
One retired Border Patrol agent told Breitbart News in an interview that there is a lengthy process to become BORTAC certified. This includes:
- Being a Border Patrol agent, which Kunce never was
- A Border Patrol Agent has to be selected through an intense application process just to attend BORTAC selection
- A Border Patrol Agent has to endure a vigorous selection course to earn the BORTAC certification
The border patrol agent said that, at best, Border Patrol units would give military servicemen “minimal training” that included small team tactics.
The retired agent said that he or she has been “pretty diligent” answering queries about retired Border Patrol agents’ resumes to confirm if they were BORTAC members, noting he or she has a roster of everybody who has graduated from that program. Imposters range from military members to podcasters fraudulently claiming the certification.
The retired agent said that Kunce “was not a member of BORTAC.”
A second retired border agent said, “No, we — the Border Patrol does not certify people, per se, in border enforcement.”
The second agent said, “There’s no way in a short deployment or a short detail to the border or even a joint training session with BORTAC would I ever look at that and then say that person is now a border security expert. That is just silly.”
Kunce’s campaign manager told Breitbart News in a comment:
While in the Marines, Lucas was attached to the First Marine Expeditionary Force’s (I MEF) Advisor Trainer Group at Camp Pendleton, California, in preparation to deploy to Iraq on a Border Training Team. I MEF Marines preparing to deploy on border training teams were sent to the southern border to train with the border patrol in order to learn the tactical skills required to train Iraqi border guards. In the course of that training, Lucas successfully completed the BORTAC/SRT Border Transition Team Training course in Yuma, Arizona. In the document attached is the certificate Lucas Kunce received for completing that training from the United States Border Patrol, Yuma Sector.
Lucas has never claimed he “was BORTAC” — he stated the fact that as a Marine, he trained with Border Patrol agents and was certified by the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, as evidenced by this certificate from his official military personnel file. You should give those agents you mentioned this full context before your story goes live.
The first retired Border Patrol agent said Kunce’s claim to be a BORTAC member amounts to “stolen valor.”
The retired agent said, “We take it personally, just like Don Shipley does when he exposes SEAL imposters.”
He or she added, “When they’re trying to do it for a personal or public gain, they will be exposed.”
The retired agent added, “A simple imposter claim like this steals the value of the hard men assigned to BORTAC teams, and it is a fast track to destroy credibility.”
“The Border Patrol agents in the area that I still keep in contact with saw it and were offended,” the second retired agent said.
A source familiar with the proceedings said that the leadership in BORTAC headquarters has asked CBP’s Office of Chief Counsel to give Kunce a cease and desist order.
“That’s how bad they believe it is,” the second retired Border Patrol agent said.
The second Border Patrol agent questioned why national Democrats embellish their border record when there is clear evidence to the contrary.
He or she said, “Why are they trying to mislead America? What’s the agenda? Why not — how about we just tell the truth, yeah, and then we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”
The agent continued, “The fact of the matter is that…when you’re talking about [Tim] Walz, when you’re talking about [Kamala] Harris, the fact of the matter is neither one of them has supported border security, neither one of them has supported law enforcement, and it looks to me like, now, they’re trying to sing a different tune to win over some votes. But, if America digs into it, we have the track record that’s just facts and evidence. Do you really think they’re going to completely change just because they get elected?”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
