After leading the agency since June 2023, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens announced he would retire in April. Owens, appointed by President Biden as the 26th Chief of the United States Border Patrol, served the agency for nearly three decades.
Biden appointed Owens to lead the agency after the retirement of former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz during one of the busiest years for migrant crossings in the agency’s history. At the time of his appointment, Owens was the Chief of the Del Rio Sector, overseeing the agency’s operations in one of the busiest sectors in the nation.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a statement on Owen’s pending retirement:
Chief Owens has dedicated his life to public service. Throughout his career in the Border Patrol, from his first assignment at Calexico Station to his command of the elite BORTAC unit in El Paso, from his leadership…
