U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on June 1 that Rosario “Pete” Vasquez would become the new chief of the Border Patrol.
Vasquez succeeds Mike Banks, who stepped down from the role last month after 15 months.
Vasquez has more than 26 years of experience with the Border Patrol. Over the course of his career, he has held a wide range of operational and executive leadership positions spanning the southwest and northern borders, CBP headquarters, and international assignments.
A graduate of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit, Vasquez has served in numerous leadership roles, including assignments with the Border Patrol’s Special Operations Group, CBP Headquarters’ Office of Anti-Terrorism, and as director of the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats. His experience also includes serving as assistant attaché for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Canada and as acting executive director within CBP’s Office of Trade.
Most recently, Vasquez served as chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Blaine Sector in Washington State, where he led northern border security operations and enhanced collaboration with federal, state, local, tribal, and international partners.
In a statement, Vasquez called the promotion “the honor of a lifetime” and thanked President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott.
“Our agents have never backed down from a challenge, and neither will I,” he said. “As chief, my focus is clear: support our agents, strengthen our operational capabilities, and ensure the U.S. Border Patrol remains the most effective border security force in the world.”
Scott praised Vasquez and said his experience makes him fit for the position.
“Pete Vasquez is a Border Patrol agent’s agent,” he said in a statement. “He has spent more than two decades leading from the front, earning the respect of the workforce, and delivering results in some of the most challenging operational environments in the country. He understands what this mission demands because he has lived it. There is no one better suited to lead the United States Border Patrol into its next chapter.”
In his role, Vasquez will oversee nearly 20,000 Border Patrol agents and professional staff working nationwide, leading operations to combat transnational criminal organizations, stop human smuggling and narcotics trafficking networks, and protect U.S. sovereignty.
Vasquez’s new role is one of numerous moves the Trump administration has made at the Department of Homeland Security.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons left at the end of May for a position in the private sector and was succeeded on June 1 by David Venturella, an immigration enforcement veteran who was also an executive at a private prison firm.