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Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske Names Ronald Vitiello as Acting Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol

Release Date
Mon, 11/30/2015

WASHINGTON— Ronald D. Vitiello will serve as Acting Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol beginning Tuesday, following Michael J. Fisher’s retirement.

As the Border Patrol’s Deputy Chief since 2010, Chief Vitiello was responsible for the Border Patrol’s daily operations, including planning and directing nationwide enforcement operations and administration.

Chief Vitiello entered on duty with the Border Patrol in 1985 as a member of Class 174. His first duty assignment as a Border Patrol agent was at the Laredo North Station in the Laredo Sector, where he also served as a Supervisory Border Patrol Agent.  During his career, Chief Vitiello participated in Special Response Team operations and was instrumental in formulating the Laredo Sector Criminal Alien Program, oversaw the regional implementation of Operation Rio Grande in 1997 and worked extensively in the Tucson Sector Community Relations Office.

He began his senior executive career in 2005, serving as the Chief Patrol Agent for the Swanton and Rio Grande Valley Sectors.  While at the Rio Grande Valley Sector, then-Chief Patrol Agent Vitiello was appointed the Lead U.S. CBP Hurricane Preparedness Coordinator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Region VI.

Chief Vitiello was one of the key contributors in the unification of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
I am confident that Chief Vitiello will continue to lead the Border Patrol through this leadership transition and serve the men and women of the Border Patrol and American people with distinction, as he has throughout his extensive career.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021