Ex-border officer turned actor says agents unfairly get bad reputation

Actor Vincent Vargas, a former border patrol agent, said in an interview Monday that agents unfairly have a bad reputation amongst the public. 

“Definitely,” Vargas, who appears on the FX crime drama “Mayans MC,” told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton on “Rising” when asked whether agents are perceived negatively by the public. 

“I’m completely positive about those guys and girls who are out there protecting the line. They’re doing their job, and they’re doing the best that they can even with all of the political agendas left and right. It makes their job harder because people look at them wrong. They’re not trying to do it bad. They’re trying to do the job,” he continued. 

Vargas’s comments come as a group of Central American migrants seeking asylum arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Border Patrol agents on Sunday sprayed tear gas at migrants trying to breach the typically busy San Ysidro port of entry between Tijuana and California, which was shut down by the Trump administration in anticipation of the caravan.  

“It’s pretty tough,” Vargas said, referring to the situation at the border. “You see a lot of people, they’re seeing different sides of the conversation. All I know is their job is to try and protect the border, so the guys that are doing their job, I really appreciate that because it’s hard for some people to understand that there’s some good guys and there’s some also not-so-good guys coming across that border.”

“Doing it legally is the right to do it,” he added. 

Vargas is promoting his new book, “Light the Fuse,” which details his approach to life.

— Julia Manchester