Patricia McGurk-Daniel, a 24-year U.S. Border Patrol veteran, has been appointed as the Chief Security Officer for the San Diego area, the Border Patrol announced Thursday.
McGurk Daniel, who most recently served as Patrol Chief for the Yuma District of the Arizona Border Patrol, is the first woman to lead a local division. She succeeded Aaron Heitke, who took over the division in early 2020, when her predecessor Rodney Scott was promoted to head of the entire Border Patrol Force.
In this February 2020 file photo, then circuit chief Aaron Heitke meets with media representatives to discuss priorities as he takes command of the San Diego area.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/San Diego Union-Tribune)
Heitke retired on June 24 after working as a local agent for about three and a half years, and was succeeded the next day by McGurk Daniel. Although this division technically covers the entire California coast from Mexico to Oregon, Main area of operation It consists of about 60 miles of shared border between San Diego County and Mexico and about 114 miles of coastal border.
The sector consists of eight stations: San Diego, Imperial Beach, El Cajon, Chula Vista, Campo, Boulevard, San Clemente and Murrieta. As of fiscal 2020, the most recent year for which data is available, the division had approximately 2,300 agents assigned to it.
After graduating from the Border Patrol Academy, McGurk Daniel began working for the Border Patrol Agency in 1999 and has previously served in the San Diego and El Centro, Tucson, El Paso and Spokane districts, according to Border Patrol News. It is said that release. During her previous assignments in San Diego, she served as both the deputy chief patrolman for the entire division and the patrolman in charge of Brown Field Station on Otay Mesa.
She has also held positions in Washington’s Border Patrol Headquarters, the Border Patrol Academy, the Intelligence Service and the Office of the Director of Customs and Border Protection, according to news releases. Her previous leadership roles included leading the CBP Immigration Crisis Response Team. She is the deputy chief patrol agent at the Border Security Academy. Deputy chief patrol agent in the Spokane area.
In a statement, McGurkDaniel said he was honored to serve the San Diego division’s agents and support staff.
“The San Diego area has one of the most complex and challenging border environments in the United States, and partnerships with local, state, federal, tribal and foreign agencies are an integral part of securing that environment,” she said. Stated. “We look forward to working with these partners to build a united front against transnational criminal organizations operating within and beyond the California corridor.”
