The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Biden administration has issued new guidelines to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents, focusing on the use of gender-neutral language and respecting individuals' preferred pronouns. The guidance, titled “Guide to Facilitating Effective Communication with Individuals who Identify as LGBTQI+,” was obtained by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.

This directive advises CBP agents to refrain from using gender-specific pronouns such as “he/him,” “she/her,” and terms like “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “sir,” or “ma’am” until more information about an individual's gender identity is available. The document emphasizes the distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation, acknowledging the diverse identities within the LGBTQI+ community.

“Keep in mind that gender identity (sense of self) and sexual orientation (attraction) are separate and distinct; hence, transgender people, for example, may identify as heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual,” the document states. “The terms and definitions in this job guide are not universal. Some LGBTQI+ individuals may define these terms differently.”

🚨Biden Directs Border Patrol to use Illegal Aliens' Preferred Pronouns

We just obtained @CBP documents directing personnel to only use woke language when encountering individuals invading the United States pic.twitter.com/HwhiYJmqmm

— Oversight Project (@OversightPR) November 17, 2023

The implementation of these new linguistic protocols comes amid an ongoing crisis at the southern U.S. border, with an estimated 1.7 million undocumented entries since President Joe Biden took office.

Representative Mark Green (R-TN), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, criticized the new guidelines. He argued that they trivialize the challenges faced by Border Patrol agents, who, according to him, need more resources to effectively manage the illegal immigration crisis.

“Border Patrol agents are crying out for tools and policies that will help them do their jobs, but are being handed manuals on misgendering instead,” Green said in a statement to the Daily Wire. “This makes a mockery of those who are doing their best to keep our borders secure.”

“In the last few weeks, we’ve seen multiple reports of criminal illegal aliens who have been released into our country on Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ watch, as well as the apprehension of a record number of individuals on the terrorist watchlist — in large part because our Border Patrol agents are so overwhelmed by this unprecedented crisis,” Green added. “I’m sure, however, Americans will be comforted to know that those agents are now being trained on which pronouns these bad actors prefer.”

The DHS's focus on inclusive language follows a recent report by the RAND Corporation, commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. This report recommended modifying terms such as “male” and “female” to include “nonbinary,” “cisgender,” and “transgender.” It also suggested replacing phrases like “illegal immigrant” and “unlawful entry” with “undocumented noncitizen” and “entry without inspection” or “undocumented entry,” arguing that certain terms are racially charged.

Green labeled the RAND Corporation’s report as deceptive and Orwellian, accusing DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of attempting to obscure the consequences of his policies through language changes. He suggested that Congress could leverage its funding power to redirect the agency's focus towards more tangible border enforcement measures.