Acting Deputy Chief of Border Patrol Suspended Over Misconduct Allegations

Border Patrol processes a group of about 60 migrants near the highway outside Eagle Pass, Texas, on Feb. 4, 2024. Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images

The acting deputy chief of U.S. Border Patrol, Joel Martinez, has been placed on administrative leave for alleged misconduct, according to multiple reports.

Joel Martinez, 31, whose career in the Border Patrol spans more than three decades, was suspended but not placed under arrest, according to The Washington Post.

The exact details surrounding his suspension, including the date the alleged incident occurred and the date he was placed on leave, are not clear.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials also did not provide further details regarding the misconduct allegations made against Mr. Martinez, citing privacy laws.

However, CBP spokesperson Erin Waters noted in a statement to The Epoch Times that the agency does “not tolerate misconduct within our ranks.”

“When we discover any alleged or potential misconduct, we immediately refer it for investigation and cooperate fully with any criminal or administrative investigations,” Ms. Waters said. “Federal privacy laws prohibit discussion of individual cases.”

According to a biography for Mr. Martinez on the official CBP website, the San Benito, Texas, native has also served as the acting chief patrol agent and deputy chief patrol agent of both Laredo and Rio Grande Valley Sectors, as well as acting deputy chief patrol agent of the Big Bend Sector; and director of the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats in Laredo Sector.

Additionally, the veteran CBP officer has worked as a patrol agent in charge of the Laredo South Station, Laredo Sector; deputy patrol agent in charge of the Brownsville Station, Rio Grande Valley Sector; and assistant chief at U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters.

Mayorkas Impeached

Mr. Martinez was named the second-ranking Border Patrol official in January of this year.

His suspension comes amid an ongoing immigration crisis at the southern border that many Republican lawmakers have blamed on President Joe Biden’s policies.

More than 6.3 million illegal immigrants are known to have entered the United States illegally since President Biden took office in 2021, according to data from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, the Migration Policy Institute reported.

As part of a push to hold key members of the Biden administration accountable over the ongoing border crisis, House Republicans earlier this week voted to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with lawmakers voting 214–213 for the measure.

It marks the first time a cabinet member has been impeached in nearly 150 years, although it is unclear if the measure will go much further once it reaches the Democrat-led Senate.

President Biden has repeatedly defended Mr. Mayorkas’ handling of the immigration crisis. In a statement following the vote by House Republicans, President Biden called the vote an “unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games.”

Mr. Mayorkas’ impeachment came in the same week that CBP said border crossings dropped by 50 percent in January compared to a month prior, with officials recording 124,220 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border. Total encounters—which include those where individuals also presented themselves at ports of entry (including those with CBP One appointments)—were 176,205, according to CBP.

According to CBP, the drop is the result of “seasonal trends,” as well as “enhanced enforcement efforts” by CBP and its international partners.