Speeches and Statements

On June 17, at approximately 1:48 a.m., a Mobile Video Surveillance System operator observed two individuals at the International Border Barrier near Sunland Park, N.M. One of the individuals was lying on the ground on the north side of the barrier, approximately six and a half miles east of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. The operator broadcasted the information via radio communications to Border Patrol agents near the location.

On June 18, 2022, Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol and other law enforcement entities were involved in a vehicle pursuit on Highway 281 near Falfurrias, Texas which later resulted in a use of force incident. One person is dead. Texas Department of Public Safety is leading the investigation and the incident is being reviewed by Custom and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility. More information will be shared as it becomes available.

On May 6, at approximately 4:35 a.m., a Remote Video Surveillance System operator spotted a group of migrants climbing the primary and secondary International Border Barriers approximately a quarter mile west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The Remote Video Surveillance System operator broadcasted the group’s location via radio to Border Patrol agents in the area. A Supervisory Border Patrol agent and several Border Patrol agents responded. Due to the night sky and foggy weather, visibility was limited.

Migrant Smuggling Attempt Results in Death

At approximately 11 p.m. on June 3, 2022, Border Patrol agents assigned to the Cotulla Border Patrol Station received a call for assistance from the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office regarding a tractor trailer that was parked on the east access road at the 56-mile marker on I-35. Border Patrol agents arrived on the scene to assist La Salle County deputies who had encountered over 20 individuals absconding into the nearby brush and others in need of medical attention. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations assisted with the search of the area.

On June 3, 2022, a Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer from the Laredo Port of Entry was arrested by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility on the charge of theft of U.S. government property (i.e., money).

CBP’s OPR conducted the investigation, and the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas. 

On May 24, 2022, at approximately 12:43 a.m., a U.S. Border Patrol agent working near Pan-American Avenue and 5th Street in Douglas, Arizona, was involved in a use of force incident which resulted in the death of an individual in Border Patrol custody.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus issued the following statement today following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas:

On March 27, 2022, an Army National Guard soldier assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Clint, Texas, was notified by a local citizen that an injured individual was lying on the ground on the north side of the International Boundary Barrier, approximately nine-and-a-half miles northwest of the Tornillo Port of Entry. The soldier broadcasted the information via radio communications to a Border Patrol agent near the location.  

MIAMI – At approximately 6 a.m. on May 2, 2022, the Carnival Conquest cruise ship arrived at the Miami Seaport in Florida. A female U.S. citizen passenger debarked from the ship at approximately 8:26 a.m. and was transiting through the cruise ship terminal towards the Passport Control primary area when she collapsed to the ground after stepping off an escalator and entering a passenger processing queue.

CAMPO, Calif. - On the morning of Friday, May 13, a U.S. Border Patrol agent died in the line of duty in California.

On May 2, 2022, a Del Rio Sector Border Patrol Agent was arrested by the Texas Rangers on a warrant stemming from an indictment on a charge of Official Oppression in connection with the alleged assault and mistreatment of a juvenile in custody. The  investigation is being led by the Texas Rangers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

On April 15, 2022, at approximately 4:11 a.m., a Border Patrol agent assigned to the primary inspection booth at the Las Cruces, N.M. Border Patrol checkpoint observed a vehicle approach the checkpoint, located at mile marker 120.5 on Interstate 10 west near Las Cruces, N.M. The agent observed the suspect vehicle pull off the road and park near the license plate readers, approximately five hundred feet from the checkpoint’s primary inspection booth. The agent notified two other agents inside the inspection building of the suspect vehicle via the checkpoint’s intercom…

On April 13, 2022, at approximately 9:01 a.m., a vehicle circumvented the Laredo North Border Patrol checkpoint. A Border Patrol agent observed the vehicle driving northbound on the west access road and the agent drove behind the vehicle in an attempt to conduct a record query on the license plate. The driver of the vehicle accelerated and merged northbound. The agent activated his USBP vehicle’s overhead lights and sirens to conduct a traffic stop but the driver of the Honda vehicle failed to yield and a vehicle pursuit ensued.

On April 15, 2022, at approximately 7:46 p.m., a Border Patrol agent was parked in the median of Highway 281 north of San Manuel, Texas, when he observed a white pickup truck suspected of human smuggling. The agent followed the truck while requesting records checks. At approximately 7:47 p.m., the agent activated the vehicle’s overhead emergency lights and siren. The driver of the truck failed to yield and a vehicle pursuit ensued.

Washington - U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus issued the following statement today regarding the transportation of migrants to Washington, D.C.:

"The men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection work tirelessly to secure and manage the nation’s borders, prioritizing the fair and humane treatment of every person we encounter. CBP follows the law to conduct that mission. 

On April 1, 2022, a mobile video surveillance system operator notified Border Patrol agents that several undocumented migrants were climbing the International Border Barrier near Clint, Texas, approximately 12 miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry. A certified Emergency Medical Technician responded and located two men who sustained injuries from apparent falls from the International Border Barrier. One of the men, a citizen of Mexico, was unconscious. The EMT immediately requested Emergency Medical Services, then rendered aid to the man.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus issued the following statement following Friday’s announcement that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) will, effective May 23, 2022, terminate its Title 42 public health Order:

On March 16, 2022, a U.S. Border Patrol Sector El Paso, Texas, remote video surveillance system operator notified Border Patrol agents that two undocumented migrants were climbing the international border barrier approximately four-tenths of a mile west of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Paso Del Norte port of entry in El Paso.

On March 17, 2022, at approximately 8:19 p.m., a U.S. Border Patrol agent operating a mobile video surveillance system observed a group of six suspected undocumented migrants climbing the international border barrier approximately two miles northwest of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s port of entry in Tornillo, Texas.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus was in Mexico City, Mexico to meet with Mexican government, law enforcement, and customs agencies to further collaboration between the United States and Mexico on bilateral opportunities and challenges, including in efforts related to migration management.   

On March 19, 2022, at approximately 7:54 a.m. CST, personnel at the U.S. Border Patrol’s Uvalde Station were notified by the Del Rio Border Intelligence Center of a 911 call placed by a 45-year-old undocumented Mexican migrant who indicated he was in medical distress and could no longer walk. The Border Intelligence Center was able to obtain coordinates during a telephone call with the man which placed him in a remote area approximately 18 miles west of La Pryor, Texas. A Border Patrol Agent responded to the area and began to search for him.

On March 7, 2022, at approximately 11:07 p.m. MST, a Border Patrol camera operator observed a group of suspected undocumented migrants load into a vehicle on Interstate 19’s East Frontage Road, near Amado, Ariz. in the vicinity of kilometer post 42. This area is two-tenths of a mile south of Amado Mantosa Road and approximately 26 miles north of the Nogales Port of Entry. The camera operator alerted Border Patrol agents of the location via radio.

On February 19, 2022, at approximately 9:00 p.m. MST, two Border Patrol agents assigned to the Douglas Border Patrol Station Horse Patrol Unit responded to reports of possible undocumented migrants in a remote mountainous area approximately 32 miles northeast of Douglas, Ariz. Upon their arrival to the area, the Border Patrol agents dismounted their horses due to the terrain. The Border Patrol agents subsequently apprehended three undocumented migrants.

On Feb. 1, 2022, at approximately 3:17 p.m. PST, a Border Patrol remote camera operator spotted three individuals cross the border barrier and enter the All-American Canal, approximately two-tenths of a mile east of the Calexico East Port of Entry in Calexico, Calif.  The camera operator relayed the information via radio to a Border Patrol agent who responded to the area.