LAREDO, Texas – On Thursday, September 24, the Laredo Sector Border Patrol welcomed its newest Chief Patrol Agent, Matthew J. Hudak. A virtual Change of Command ceremony was held at the Laredo College in Laredo, Texas. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney S. Scott presided over the ceremony, which formally established Chief Hudak as the Chief Patrol Agent for the Laredo Sector.
Chief Hudak began his Border Patrol career in 1997 at the Harlingen Station in the Rio Grande Valley Sector. He promoted to Supervisory Border Patrol Agent in 2001 at the Douglas Station in the Tucson Sector.
In 2004, Chief Hudak transferred to U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters in Washington, DC, where he helped establish and lead the Enforcement and Information Technology Division. In 2007, he returned to the field as the Assistant Patrol Agent in Charge of the Cotulla Station in the Laredo Sector, and also served as the Acting Patrol Agent in Charge of the Laredo Sector Intelligence Unit. In January 2010, he was promoted to Patrol Agent in Charge of the Laredo South Station. In 2012, Chief Hudak became the Laredo Sector’s Division Chief for Operational Programs. He also served as Laredo Sector’s Acting Deputy Chief Patrol Agent from March 2013 to April 2014. In 2015, he was selected to be the Deputy Chief Patrol Agent for the Del Rio Sector. In 2019, he was assigned as Chief Patrol Agent of the Big Bend Sector.
Chief Hudak has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Central Connecticut State University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University. Chief Hudak and his wife, Melissa, have two children.
In his ceremonial address, Chief Hudak stated, “I want to reaffirm the commitment that this organization and I have to this community. It’s a commitment stronger than ourselves. It’s a willingness to sacrifice some freedoms because we want to hold ourselves, collectively, to a much higher standard. When we talk about ‘Honor First’, it means putting the honor of the organization, of our mission, ahead of our personal stake. I remain proud of this organization and to have the opportunity to stand here as the Chief of the Laredo Sector is truly an honor and privilege for me.”
The Laredo Sector covers 86,673 square miles in 101 counties from the U.S.-Mexico borders to the Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas borders. With a workforce of over 1,900 employees, the Laredo Sector is a viable economic factor providing over $80 million in salaries on an annual basis for the Sector's region. The Laredo Sector has one Sector complex and nine stations: Laredo North, Laredo South, Laredo West, Zapata, Cotulla, Hebbronville, Freer, San Antonio, and Dallas.
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