U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens has announced his retirement, effective April, after nearly 30 years of service with the agency. Owens, who became the 26th chief of the United States Border Patrol in June 2023 under President Biden, led during a time of significant challenges, including record-breaking surges in migrant crossings.
Before his appointment as chief, Owens served as the leader of the Del Rio Sector, one of the busiest sectors along the southern border. His tenure at the helm of the Border Patrol was marked by efforts to manage an unprecedented volume of migrant encounters, as well as the operational challenges of balancing humanitarian aid with national security concerns.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas praised Owens’s leadership, describing him as the “right person” to navigate the agency through a difficult period. Reflecting on his career and the challenges faced, Owens told Fox News, “I hadn’t seen anything like [the recent surges]. It was as bad as I had seen in my entire career, but the men and women of the Border Patrol were always working tirelessly to manage the crisis and keep bad actors out.”
“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 of the USBP Academy to the Laredo Sector, Del Rio Sector, Washington, D.C., and many duty stations in-between, he has always stepped up and stepped in whenever the challenges have been greatest, and wherever his talents have been most needed,” Mayorkas said. “He rose through the ranks of the Border Patrol by virtue of his extraordinary leadership and his bravery, integrity, and decency.”
Owens, a native of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and a member of the Cherokee Nation, has been recognized for his dedication to public service throughout his career. His replacement has yet to be announced, though reports suggest that Mike Banks, the current Texas Border Czar, is a leading candidate for the role.