LAREDO, Texas – Laredo Sector Border Patrol hosted a change of command ceremony honoring Chief Patrol Agent Joel Martinez at the Laredo ISD Performing Arts Complex.
The event was held on Friday, July 28, at 2:00 p.m., officiated by U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens and attended by federal, state, and local dignitaries and stakeholders. This longstanding tradition and ceremony signal the official transfer of authority and responsibility by the national U.S. Border Patrol Chief to the incoming Chief Patrol Agent of a U.S. Border Patrol Sector. Martinez has officially taken over as Chief Patrol Agent of the Laredo Sector after previously serving as Deputy Chief Patrol Agent of the Rio Grande Valley Sector.
CPA Martinez entered on duty with the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) on April 22, 1992, as a member of the USBP Academy’s 258th session. Chief Martinez, a 31-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol, will officially be taking over as Chief of the Laredo Sector on June 18.
Throughout his career, CPA Martinez has held numerous leadership positions at USBP Headquarters, Sector, and Station levels. He has served as Acting Chief Patrol Agent and Deputy Chief Patrol Agent of both Laredo and Rio Grande Valley Sectors; Acting Deputy Chief Patrol Agent of the Big Bend Sector; Director of the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats in Laredo Sector; 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 USBP Headquarters.
CPA Martinez is a graduate of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Leadership Institute. He holds an undergraduate degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from Ashford University and completed his U.S. Naval post-graduate studies, Fleet Seminar (Strategy and War), at Naval Air Station-Fort Worth.
CPA Martinez will have direct oversight of the strategy and tactical operations of nine Border Patrol stations responsible for securing 136 Southwest border miles along the Rio Grande between Mexico and the United States. The area of responsibility stretches from the U.S./Mexico border in Texas to the Oklahoma and Arkansas state lines.