Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz To Retire

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz will retire next month, according to an internal agency email obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Ortiz will retire from the federal government effective June 30, according to the email. The Border Patrol Chief has overseen the agency during record surges in illegal immigration, with Border Patrol agents recording more than 2.2 million illegal migrant encounters in fiscal year 2022 at the southern border, according to agency data.

“After a 32-year Border Patrol career spanning multiple Sectors, HQ tours, and overseas assignments in Afghanistan, I have decided to retire from federal service on June 30th,” Ortiz wrote in the email.

Multiple agents confirmed the authenticity of the email to the DCNF, and that Ortiz would step down June 30.

“Serving as your Chief has been one of the greatest honors and privileges I have had and please know I will always champion this agency, its mission, and the people who make the Border Patrol everything that it is,” Ortiz wrote.

So far in fiscal year 2023, agents have recorded more than 1.2 million encounters.

Border Patrol agents have also apprehended 196 individuals whose names appear on the terror watchlist between October 2021 and April 2023.

Amid the influx of migrants at the southern border, Ortiz testified that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacked “operational control” of the area, contradicting DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“Chief Ortiz has been a great leader of the men and women of the United States Border Patrol for the past two years, and at every level of the organization throughout his three decades of service. He embodies the core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity, as well as the Border Patrol’s motto: honor first. His steady leadership and operational expertise have greatly benefited the agency, the Department, and the nation — and will continue to influence the Border Patrol well into the future,” Mayorkas said of Ortiz’s retirement in a statement shared with the DCNF.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

AUTHOR

JENNIE TAER

Investigative reporter.

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