Biden administration ousts Rodney Scott as Border Patrol chief

June 23 (UPI) -- The Biden administration ousted Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott on Wednesday amid an increase of border crossings since the beginning of the year.

Unnamed sources told NBC News that the administration sent Scott what's known as a "3 R" letter, which allows a senior government employee to either retire, resign or relocate to another position.

Scott said the letter didn't give him a reasoning for his ouster, saying he believed it was "so the new administration can place the person they want in the position."

Former President Donald Trump's administration tapped Scott to lead Customs and Border Patrol in January 2020, replacing outgoing Chief Carla Provost. Prior to the promotion, Scott was chief of Border Patrol's San Diego Sector, which includes 60 miles of the United States' shared border with Mexico.

Scott said his resignation will go into effect in 60 days.

"I will continue working hard to support you over the next several weeks to ensure a smooth transition," he wrote in a letter to agents.

The number of migrants U.S. Customs and Border Protection "encountered" at the border in March reached a two-decade high of about 173,000. That was a 70% spike over February's encounters and a five-fold increase over the same month in 2020.

The most recent data for the month of May showed that trend was continuing, with about 180,000 encounters for the month, up from 23,237 in May 2020.