Overview
- Justin M. De La Torre, a San Diego native with more than 25 years in the Border Patrol, has taken over as Chief Patrol Agent after previously leading the Yuma sector.
- Acting chief Jeffrey Stalnaker remains in the sector as deputy chief patrol agent.
- A suspected human-smuggling boat capsized just after midnight Saturday south of the Imperial Beach Pier, leaving four dead and five rescued to local hospitals.
- De La Torre said agents entered the surf, flipped the vessel, and rescued an 89-year-old man who had been trapped underneath.
- He said maritime smuggling events are down about 20% this fiscal year, with more than 60 incidents and 170 apprehensions so far, as the sector oversees roughly 2,000 agents across about 60 border miles and the California coast.