On duty, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents protect the county from hostile invaders -- like human traffickers, cartel operators, previously deported criminals, covid-positive illegal aliens, and others who are just looking to collect welfare. But even off-duty, Border Patrol agents are proving adept at protecting the public safety.
In Colville, Washington, an off-duty Border Patrol agent was traveling down the highway when he heard gunshots near a local auto parts store. The agent observed two men with guns, one pointing his weapon at the other man laying on the ground. After drawing his own weapon and identifying himself as a federal agent, the off-duty agent convinced the standing man to drop his weapon. The suspect attempted to walk towards his vehicle, but the off-duty agent was able to hold the man until the arrival of local police, not a social worker.
The man on the ground suffered from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“Border Patrol agents are here to protect the communities that we serve. This is another example of the willingness and courage that our agents have to put their lives in danger to protect the public," stated Acting Chief Patrol Agent David BeMiller in a press release. "If not for the quick action of this heroic agent and police officer, who knows if the outcome would have been the same in saving this man’s life."
The brave men and women at CBP are not the types of people to stand around as others break the laws of our nation. In June, an off-duty Border Patrol agent stopped an attempted carjacking in Arizona. And in March, an off-duty Border Patrol agent ended a stabbing incident that took place inside a Sam's Club in Midland, Texas. In 2016, an off-duty female CBP agent along with a U.S. Marshal subdued an armed passenger on the D.C. metro.
CBP is one of the nation's largest law enforcement agencies. In 2019, CBP employed more than 19,500 Border Patrol agents and over 24,500 CBP officers.
Maybe in cities where the police have been defunded, off-duty CBP agents can help pick up the slack.