By The People’s Paper MS
Part 1: A Journey from Cuba to Public Service
When Chief Denis J. Borges talks about service, he starts with his childhood journey from Cuba to the United States when he was just eight years old.
His path to America, he says, shaped his understanding of freedom, opportunity, and what it means to help others.
“Coming to the United States as a child shaped the way I see service, opportunity, and responsibility,” said Borges. “Growing up after leaving Cuba, a communist country, I learned early that freedom, safety, and stability are not things to take for granted.”
Borjes’s memories of Cuba are not of beaches or tourist attractions. They are of real life in a place where basic freedoms were limited and struggle was not something to romanticize.
“My experience was not one of sightseeing or vacation,” he admits. “It was real life, and that leaves a mark on you.”
That early reality still influences how he approaches order, structure, and the everyday blessings many people in the United States may overlook.
Those lessons became the foundation of the values he leans on in leadership today.
“The biggest lessons are simple: work hard, stay humble, do not waste time, and stand on principle,” Chief Borges explains.
For him, leadership goes beyond titles or rank.
“I believe in being consistent and handling problems directly. I also believe that leadership is not about titles. It is about responsibility. My upbringing taught me that excuses do not move anything forward. Discipline, faith, and steady leadership do,” he told The People’s Paper MS.
His decision to pursue public service grows directly from that story and that struggle.
“That experience taught me the value of hard work, discipline, faith, family, and serving others,” he says of leaving Cuba and growing up in the United States. “It also gave me a deep appreciation for this country and the opportunities it provides.”
That perspective shapes how he approaches the role of chief each day.
“Because of that, I take public service very seriously. I believe that if you are given the opportunity to serve, you have a responsibility to do it with honor, integrity, and a genuine commitment to giving people your very best.”
As an immigrant and a bilingual chief, Borges also sees language as one of the most powerful tools he has to connect with residents.
“Being bilingual helps me connect with people in a more personal and direct way,” he explains. “Language matters, especially when someone is scared, confused, or just needs to feel heard.”
In tense or uncertain situations, being able to speak to someone in their own language can immediately lower barriers.
“It allows me to break barriers, build trust faster, and make sure people understand what is happening,” he says. “At the end of the day, communication is one of the strongest tools we have in public service, and being able to speak clearly to more people helps me serve the community better.”
From Havana to Magee, the thread running through his story is the same: an awareness that freedom has a cost and that service is a duty, not a slogan.
Those early lessons now guide his hand as he leads a department charged with protecting a small Mississippi city he has come to deeply appreciate.
Come back tomorrow for Part II: Leadership Style, Accountability, and the Weight of the Badge
