The Rio Grande Valley’s U.S. Border Patrol now answers to a new interim chief patrol agent from San Benito after their chief retired last week.
Chief Brian S. Hastings retired on Friday, June 30, after 27 years with the agency, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
Hastings began his career in the Cotulla Station of the Laredo sector in 1995.
“During his nearly three decades of service, Chief Hastings held key leadership roles on both the southwest and northern borders, as well as multiple assignments at U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters,” a statement from a CBP spokesperson stated. “He was promoted into the upper echelon of USBP leadership, serving as the Chief of Law Enforcement Operations Directorate at the USBP Headquarters but he never forgot about the resilient workforce of agents and professional staff found throughout the agency.”
As chief of the Law Enforcement Operations Directorate at the U.S. Border Patrol headquarters in Washington, D.C., Hastings had oversight of the daily law enforcement operations of all U.S. sectors.
Hastings was appointed in February 2020 to the position of chief patrol agent in the RGV sector by then Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, who served under President Donald J. Trump.
As chief patrol agent in the Valley, Hastings was responsible for securing 277 river miles and 316 coastal miles in an area spanning 34 counties, a news release from February 2020 read.
During Hastings’ command of the sector, the region experienced a shortage of resources due to the pandemic, a change in policy for asylum seekers, a spike in border encounters and challenges from the Texas governor who, at one point last year, attempted to keep anyone but law enforcement officers from transporting migrants.
Hastings strongly rebutted the move in his written testimony offered during a lawsuit to stop the law from going into place.
“This would likely result in migrants remaining in the local border communities without any assistance or shelter by NGOs, causing unsafe conditions for both migrants and the community,” Hastings said.
He also contended, using law enforcement officers to drive migrants “would severely impact CBP’s daily operations by decreasing border security enforcement at the southwest border thereby increasing threats to national security; decreasing enforcement at checkpoints; and increasing duration for processing.”
The increase led to discussions that included leaving the Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias unmanned, though the plan never came into fruition.
Border Patrol in the Valley increased their capacity and added employees to help manage the challenges while other sectors along the border, like Del Rio that had not experienced large traffic through their area until 2021 struggled to keep up.
“Chief Hastings took pride by leading from the front doing all he could to provide the resources necessary to accomplish the mission and put the needs of the men and women he led first,” the statement provided Wednesday said. “His exemplary leadership character was evident while leading RGV, the busiest sector along the southwest border in terms of drug seizures and the apprehension of migrants illegally crossing the border.”
A San Benito native, RGV Deputy Chief Joel Martinez is now the acting chief patrol agent in the Valley until a permanent selection is announced. He previously held a leadership role as the acting patrol agent in charge of the Brownsville station during the time unaccompanied children were entering the country in unexpected numbers during 2014.
Before his appointment as deputy chief in the Valley in January 2021, Martinez held the same position in the Laredo sector from May 2019 to December 2021.
“His accolades include but are not limited to being a graduate of the CBP Leadership Institute – University of Maryland-Smith School of Business, a bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from Ashford University, and completed U.S. Naval Post Graduate studies, Fleet Seminar (Strategy & War) at NAS-FT. Worth. With all (A)CPA Martinez’ accomplishments and knowledge, RGV will continue to hold fast against the daily cross border illicit activity,” CBP’s statement read.
