De La Viña has a wife, five children, and one of the largest extended families you can imagine— the more than 12,400 men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol. Chief De La Viña says, “I love what I do. The Border Patrol has been my home and my family for more than 34 years. And like any family, there have been ups and downs and arguments, but when there have been crises everyone pulled together.”

After 34 years of service, Gustavo De La Viña retires as Chief of the Border Patrol.

Born and raised in Edinburg, Tex., De La Viña has a distinctive style. He is quiet, unassuming, impeccably groomed from his head to his toes, which by the way, are outfitted in cowboy boots—a De La Viña signature. A private person, he does not share details of his life easily, but through an outward serenity burns an intensity that is tangible.

The “Chief,” as most Border Patrol agents call him, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963 from Pan American University in Edinberg, Tex. Fresh out of college, the young De La Viña started working as a physical education teacher. But he was interested in law enforcement and began applying to several federal and state agencies: the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Highway Patrol, U.S. Customs, and the Border Patrol. Growing up on the Texas-Mexico border, he’d known about the Border Patrol and its role in border enforcement all of his life, so when they made him an offer, he accepted.

In 1970, he started as a rookie working in Eagle Pass, Tex. He worked his way up the ladder, becoming chief of the San Diego Sector and Western Regional director in charge of operations in seven states.

Turning points

An interviewer asks him what motivates him.

“The opportunity to make things better,” says De La Viña. He has always been impressed with the resourcefulness of his colleagues. Whatever they lacked in budget they made up for in raw talent and motivation. He says he fed on their creativity and excitement, but he doesn’t make mention of his own.

Asked about the turning points in his career, he recounts one of his most memorable incidents. “While on patrol I came across a child, a little boy who asked, ‘Can you help my mother? She is sick and stranded out in the mountains.’ I followed the child and finally came upon his mother. She appeared to be sleeping. Unfortunately, she was not asleep, but dead. She had died from exhaustion and dehydration.”

The boy told De La Viña that they had been part of a group; his mother was tired and thirsty and couldn’t keep up. The smuggler left her behind, saying he couldn’t slow the pace or take care of anyone who was sick. This incident moved De La Viña and gave him new resolve. “ I want to enforce the law, but people should not die attempting to cross our borders. My view of smugglers, with such little regard for human life, was hardened.”

Leaving an indelible mark

His resolve drove him to revolutionize the Border Patrol paradigm. He originated today’s proactive border enforcement philosophy, which focuses on deterrence instead of interdiction. A post-entry focus on apprehension tends to be numbers-driven, but De La Viña, mindful of the death of a small child’s mother, thought that there should be an emphasis on reducing deaths by dissuading attempted illegal crossings. “Deterrence promotes safety, is more efficient and accomplishes the same objective,” he says.

While the Chief of the San Diego sector during the mid-1990s, he instituted Operation Gatekeeper. His goal was to close the spigot of illegal immigration and regain ground that had been lost in sector enforcement. Immigrants would be deterred by installing stadium-style lighting, improving border fencing, and by automating the processing of arrested aliens. As a result of these efforts, not only was quality of life improved, but crime was reduced in the San Diego area.

De La Viña believed that what worked in his sector could serve as a model for other sectors. De La Viña says the strategy is simple—secure one area not only by increasing personnel but by employing state-of-the-art equipment and technology. The word gets out that crossing in that area is difficult. Smugglers respond by moving illegal crossing attempts “down the road.” But as more and more areas are secured, it becomes increasingly difficult for a human smuggler to pick a new location. If you systematically secure, sector by sector, eventually you can seal the border. “We used this strategy first in San Diego and then in El Paso and now we are moving into Arizona and South Texas sectors. You can’t control the movement of people, you have to respond to where the volume is.”

Staying true to his humanitarian ideals, Chief De La Viña created the Border Safety Initiative (BSI) in 1998. This initiative relies on close cooperation from the Mexican government and uses public service announcements on both sides of the border to educate would-be immigrants of the dangers of illegal crossings. In addition, the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue team plays an integral part in rescuing those who get in trouble trying to cross the border. BSI has saved thousands of lives since its inception.

“CBP has energized its employees; new technology and strategies that act as force multipliers have enhanced their ability to sift through the huge volumes of human and trade traffic, accomplishing their traditional missions and the new mission of anti-terrorism.”—Chief Gustavo De La Viña, CBP Border Patrol

De La Viña has received many honors over the years—Distinguished and Meritorious Executive, and twice honored by the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for exceptional leadership. However, in response to the question, “What is the greatest honor you have had?” De La Viña didn’t pause for even a moment before answering, “When men and women in the field have told me, ‘Thank you for your support and for the work you do.’ That is my greatest honor.”