When Gloria Chavez met with state lawmakers

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Brownsville native Gloria I. Chavez, the chief patrol agent for U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector, was recently relieved of her duties.

According to news reports, Chavez was escorted from the Edinburg headquarters of the RGV Sector.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott told Border Report: “CBP does not comment on specific disciplinary actions. We will continue to adhere to our core values: Integrity is our cornerstone. We are guided by the highest ethical and moral principles. Our actions must bring honor to ourselves and our agency. Misconduct — on or off duty — by a few distracts from the honorable service of the many. CBP leadership under the Trump administration are extremely proud to support the agents that honorably protect America every day by refusing to accept misconduct of even a few, regardless of rank.“

Chavez joined the U.S. Border Patrol in May of 1995 and took over as chief of the RGV Sector three years ago.

One of her most in-depth presentations came at Texas Southmost College in February 2023 when she spoke to state lawmakers as part of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership’s legislative tour. 

Chavez said Border Patrol agents have to balance national security with a humanitarian mission.

“Every time that you all are out there or you encounter a Border Patrol agent… tell them thank you and that you appreciate them, because I do every day.  We get a lot of criticism, we got a lot of love. But we also get a lot of criticism, but they (the general public) don’t know the challenges that we have,” Chavez said.

“We do our job, but we do it with a heart, because at the end of the day, these are human beings that we treat every day.”

Here is a video recording of her speech to the visiting state lawmakers:

Biography

Here is Gloria Chavez’s official biography:

Gloria I. Chavez assumed command of the Rio Grande Valley Sector on October 9, 2022. Chavez is a member of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Senior Executive Service and is the Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) for the U.S. Border Patrol’s (USBP) Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV).

As the CPA, she directs the operational oversight of nine USBP stations and three checkpoints charged with securing 277 river miles, 317 coastal miles, and 34 counties encompassing 34,000 square miles. She previously served as the CPA El Paso Sector.

CPA Chavez joined the U.S. Border Patrol in May of 1995, as a member of Class 285. CPA Chavez has successfully served in a variety of senior leadership positions on the northern and southern borders of the United States to include two tours of duty at CBP Headquarters following the creation of DHS. In 2005, CPA Chavez was assigned to the Office of Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis and the Special Operations Division-Foreign Operations Branch within the U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters. In 2007, CPA Chavez returned to the field as an Assistant Chief Patrol Agent in the San Diego Sector. In 2008, CPA Chavez sought and accepted the position of Patrol Agent in Charge of the Chula Vista Station in San Diego Sector.

In 2010, CPA Chavez assumed command of the Spokane Sector in Spokane, Washington along the U.S./Canada border. In 2015, she accepted the position of Deputy Chief for Operations under the Law Enforcement Operations Directorate at U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters in Washington D.C. In 2016 and 2017, she served as the CBP Commander for the CBP Migration Crisis Team where she monitored and addressed the day-to-day operational requirements and challenges for the CBP enterprise. In recognition of her efforts, she was presented with the 2017 DHS Secretary – Silver Medal Award. In 2018, CPA Chavez once again assumed command in a field post as the Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector in Imperial, California along the U.S./Mexico border.

Most recently, CPA Chavez served as the CPA in the El Paso Sector from March 2020 through October 2022.

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