EXCLUSIVE — A U.S. Border Patrol agent died in the line of duty while working in Texas on Wednesday, the Washington Examiner has learned from two federal law enforcement agents.
The agent, Jorge Maldonado, was a supervisor based out of Eagle Pass in south-central Texas. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), whose district includes Eagle Pass, additionally confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday evening that Maldonado has died.
Details surrounding the cause of death have yet to be formally released by the government, but it is believed to have been the result of a heat-related health incident, not the result of an assault while on duty, according to two agents who were not authorized to speak with the media.
Maldonado was featured in a Facebook post by the city of Eagle Pass in 2020 in a celebration for Border Patrol agents who had recently graduated as emergency medical technicians.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency that oversees the Border Patrol, did not respond to requests for comment.
A private Facebook page for agents in Eagle Pass posted information about the line of duty death on Wednesday with members commenting to express their condolences to the community.
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In March, Border Patrol agent Chris Luna died in a helicopter crash while on duty. Luna was also based out of one of the Border Patrol’s stations in Eagle Pass.
The Border Patrol has roughly 19,000 agents nationwide. Line of duty deaths are rare.