El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief bids farewell to the region

EL PASO, Texas -- Friday is the final day U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector Chief Gloria Chavez will oversee the sector.

Chief Chavez will leave to become the new Chief Patrol Agent of the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

Chavez has 27 years of experience in border security and law enforcement. She is a native of the Brownsville area.

The chief first arrived in the sector in July of 2019 as the Interim Chief. She arrived during the height of the migrant surge.

She would then become the permanent chief in March of 2020.

During her time here, Chief Chavez faced the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in June 2021, she talked to ABC-7 about the impact the pandemic had on Border Patrol agents.

"And it's just very difficult to accept, you know. Our agents are very resilient. They never say no. They're out there 24/7. And they're also human. I always say, you know, our Border Patrol academy in Artesia, New Mexico builds heroes. And superheroes, right? But these superheroes are human. And a lot of times, they make encounters providing service for this country. And they encounter in their duties, encounter and exposure like that and then tragically, you know, many have died," she said.

This August, Border Patrol agents in the El Paso Sector started releasing hundreds of migrants into the streets. This is as migrant shelters were at capacity and the number of encounters continues to rise. Chavez also addressed this issue.

"I think that today we are looking at all sorts of ways that we can be more efficient and more effective in our processing of migrants coming over," Chavez told ABC-7 during her last interview.

Chavez said she wanted to process migrants efficiently. Despite the increasing number of migrants being encountered by agents, Chavez said Border Patrol's commitment continues.

"Every day, all day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, our Border Patrol agents are on the frontlines protecting our country, and we are encountering people coming over in every minute and every hour," she said.

Chief Chavez will begin her new role in the RGV Sector on Oct. 9.

Border Patrol officials said she will oversee the strategy and tactical operations of 9 stations, including 277 river miles and 316 coastal miles. The area spans 34 counties.

A source tells ABC-7 that Deputy Chief Peter Jacquez will become the interim chief.