The U.S. Border Patrol has promoted the only female in a field leadership post to oversee operations in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, the busiest region for illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border, the Washington Examiner learned.
Gloria Chavez, the chief patrol agent of the El Paso, Texas, region since 2019, was named in an internal email to top staff on Thursday. The Washington Examiner obtained a copy of that email. She replaces the outgoing Brian Hastings.
Chavez is the only woman chief of its 22 sectors and one of just two Hispanic leaders. Chavez, widely respected by her colleagues, earned public recognition last year by hosting Vice President Kamala Harris on her border trip to El Paso in 2021.
The announcement comes as the Border Patrol has been under scrutiny for having white men dominate the field leadership positions despite the agency being comprised mostly of Hispanic employees and having vowed to prioritize diversity under President Joe Biden.
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The Washington Examiner reported last month that men were in charge of 21 of the 22 Border Patrol outposts on the northern, coastal, and southern borders. While Chavez’s move doesn’t change that figure, the shift to a busier and more prominent border sector is viewed as a promotion.
Her successor in the El Paso region has not been named.
