Border Patrol agent killed in crash laid to rest

A Border Patrol agent killed in a crash was laid to rest Friday morning.

Jose Daniel Barraza was driving home after working the midnight shift when he slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer about 7:30 a.m. on Interstate 10 near Fort Hancock in Hudspeth County. He died at the scene.

Barraza was assigned to the Sierra Blanca station of the Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector.

The viewing took place Thursday evening at Crestview Funeral Home. A memorial service was held at Abundant Living Faith Center before Barraza was buried Mt. Carmel Cemetery in the Lower Valley.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske issued a statement Monday afternoon: “I am deeply saddened by the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jose D. Barraza. Agent Barraza, a canine handler, was involved in a vehicle accident with his canine, Vino… Our thoughts and prayers are with Agent Barraza’s family during this difficult time.”

A recent picture posted on The National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers Facebook page showed fellow agents kneeling at the site of the crash after resuscitation efforts were stopped.

The Border Patrol Council started the YOUCARING account to help his family. The account says Barraza left behind a wife, Donna, and two young boys.