WASHINGTON — The Biden administration asked Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott to step down on Wednesday, two sources familiar with the decision told NBC News, the end of a tenure many had expected would not outlast the Trump administration.
Scott was sent a letter known as the “3 R” letter that gives a senior government employee the option between retiring, resigning or relocating to a different job within the department, the sources said.
The Washington Post was the first to report Scott’s departure. The Post also reported that Scott would be remaining in his post for 60 days before departure.
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As Border Patrol chief, Scott was in charge of men and women who apprehend and process migrants crossing illegally between ports of entry on the northern and southern U.S. border, the latter of which is experiencing a 20-year high in border crossings.
Scott assumed the role of Border Patrol chief in February 2020 and it had been widely presumed that he would depart with the change in administration.
