UPDATED: 01/08/19 1:45PM

Mark Morgan, the chief of U.S. Border Control under Barack Obama went public on Tuesday, January 8th, 2019 to say that he supports the president and his border wall. He said in an interview with the Law & Crime Network, “I am here today breaking my silence to tell the American people that the president is correct in what he’s doing. The wall works.”

Back in 2016 Morgan was a fan of adding fencing around the border and is recorded as telling a Senate committee in 2016, “Do we need more fencing? Yes. Does it work? Yes. Do we need it everywhere? No. Is it the sole answer? No.” He repeated this sentiment while supporting Mr. Trump, but said that having a border without a wall would be like having a high-tech home without windows or doors.

He also made it understood that he was not asked by the president or the administration to make his views known to the public. He said that it was his duty as “a patriot” to express his support. The government is currently in the midst of a shutdown over Trump’s proposed $5 billion border wall.