WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protecting Acting Commissioner Troy A. Miller released the following statement today regarding personnel announcements across the agency’s leadership team:
“Today, we are announcing several key transitions among our senior leadership team. These leaders embody our agency’s core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. They are entrusted with the critical responsibilities of protecting our national security and supporting our worldwide workforce: the incredible people who carry out our mission each and every day.
After 38 years of service, Acting Deputy Commissioner Benjamine “Carry” Huffman will retire, effective June 30. Chief Huffman has dedicated his life to protecting our nation: always with honor first. Chief Huffman began his career with the U.S. Border Patrol in 1985, joined the Senior Executive Service in January 2014, and has been the recipient of multiple honors during his career, including the Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award. Since June 2021, he has been by my side every day, serving as CBP’s second highest career official and leading the day-to-day operations of our agency while supporting our 65,000-strong workforce. There is simply no greater champion of the men and women of CBP than Chief Huffman, and he leaves behind an incredible legacy of service spanning nearly four decades. I am very grateful to Chief Huffman and his family for their service and sacrifice, and wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.
I am pleased that Pete R. Flores will serve as Acting Deputy Commissioner upon Chief Huffman’s retirement. Currently serving as the Executive Assistant Commissioner (EAC) for the Office of Field Operations, he leads 31,000 uniformed and civilian personnel carrying out OFO’s multipronged homeland security mission. EAC Flores has previously held multiple key leadership roles across the agency, including as Director of Field Operations for the San Diego Field Office; Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner, Operations Support; and Assistant Director, Trade, San Diego Field Office. Deputy EAC Diane Sabatino will serve as the Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Field Operations. In her more than 25 years of service, Deputy EAC Sabatino has led high-performing teams in strategic locations, including as the Director of Field Operations for the Miami Field Office, Port Director at the Port of Miami, and Assistant Port Director at Miami International Airport.
As announced last week, Chief Raul Ortiz will retire on June 30, after an impressive 32-year career with the U.S. Border Patrol. Chief Ortiz is a true leader who has worked tirelessly to ensure our Border Patrol agents have the tools, resources, and support they need to do their jobs. He has numerous accolades and awards from his tenure in the Border Patrol, but the highest compliment we can bestow on him is that he is a great agent. I have benefitted greatly from his partnership, expertise, and wise counsel over the years, and congratulate him on his retirement after three decades of service.
It is with great pride that I announce that Chief Jason Owens will be appointed as the next Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. Chief Owens has served in the U.S. Border Patrol for more than 25 years, rising through the ranks to hold key leadership positions at every level. His career to date includes Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy, Chief of the Houlton Sector, and his current assignment as Chief of the Del Rio Sector. Over the course of his career, Chief Owens has demonstrated consistent dedication to our border security and homeland security missions, and to the men and women who carry out these responsibilities every day. I am confident that he will ably lead the U.S. Border Patrol into its 100th year and beyond.
I am very grateful for the service of our departing senior leaders, and look forward to what our new executives will accomplish in service of our mission to safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.
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