FALFURRIAS, TX — The first woman to head the United States Border Patrol got a first-hand look of the dangers that her agents are faced with day to day while protecting the Texas-Mexico border.
It was Acting Chief Carla Provost’s first visit to the Rio Grande Valley sector, deemed the most active sector in the agency.
Provost spoke about her experience and other issues plaguing the agency during a press event held at the Falfurrias Border Patrol vehicle checkpoint, located about 80 miles north of the border with Mexico.
Her two-day visit was spent assessing conditions on the ground, specifically the smuggling hot zones along Hidalgo and Starr counties, where she also toured the Rio Grande River on a boat.
She said that she wanted to hear the concerns and needs directly from the sector chief and the agents on patrol, so she can relay the message back to stakeholders in Washington.
“Getting to learn a little bit more about the transnational criminal organizations that work in the area,” Chief Provost said. “Of course, I have the high-level view, but getting that local view of really what our men and women are dealing with, I think, was an important part of this and the challenges that come along with that.”
Provost was named acting chief a year ago and had never been to the RGV sector in the 23 years she’s been with the Border Patrol.
She recognized that a lot is needed to secure the border in the Rio Grande Valley, which is currently the busiest in the agency, accounting for about 40 percent of all the apprehensions.
The chief’s visit comes amid the deployment of 1,000 National Guard troops to the Texas border and a surge in undocumented immigrant apprehensions.