see also: in January 2009:   CBP Officers Discover 957 Pounds of Marijuana in Concrete Pipes   CBP Canine Detects $600,000 Worth of Marijuana at Douglas Port   CBP Officers Seize $80,000 of Marijuana at Naco Port of Entry   Border Patrol Stops Vehicle, Leads to Meth Seizure   CBP Officers at Hidalgo/Reynosa International Bridge Seize Fake $20’s Found during Outbound Inspection   Border Patrol Agents Rescue Woman Injured in Car Accident   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Arrest Wanted Sex Offender ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Laredo, Texas - Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Carlos X. Carrillo retired from the United States Border Patrol on January 3, after serving for nearly 26 years.

Chief Carrillo was named Chief Patrol Agent of the Laredo Sector on October 2006. As the highest-ranking Border Patrol agent in the Laredo Sector, he directed more than 1,700 officer-corps and mission support personnel. He had executive operational oversight of nine Border Patrol stations, six permanent traffic checkpoints, and an area of responsibility that includes 116 Texas counties, more than 110,000 square miles and 171 miles of the U.S./Mexico border.

During Carrillo’s tenure, Laredo Sector established initiatives and programs that improved border security such as the Streamline-Laredo Initiative, Texas Hold’ Em Initiative, and the implementation of riverine operations along the Rio Grande River.

Carrillo was also instrumental in establishing dialogue and communicating the agency mission to community leaders and stakeholders to identify and implement tactical and strategic alternatives to the construction of border fence, such as DHS’s campaign to eradicate Carrizo Cane along the Rio Grande and the Riverbend Project that allows better lateral mobility for agents patrolling the river.

During his years with the Border Patrol Carrillo served in many capacities including Chief of Staff, Senior Associate Chief of Southern Border Operations, Chief of Intelligence for the Office of Border Patrol, Acting Deputy Chief Patrol Agent in El Centro, Calif. and Assistant Chief Patrol Agent in McAllen, Texas and Tucson, Ariz. He also served as the Deputy Commander and Interim National Commander of the Border Patrol National Tactical (BORTAC) Unit at Biggs Army Airfield, El Paso, Texas.

Chief Carrillo entered on duty with the 155th Session at the National Border Patrol Academy on April 11, 1983. He was also a graduate of the San Diego County Sheriff’s S.W.A.T. Academy at Miramar, Calif., and the U.S. Border Patrol’s National Special Operations Basic and Advanced Training Academies. As a member of the Border Patrol’s Special Operations Unit, he participated in several domestic and foreign special operations. Chief Carrillo also served on a U.S. State Department select anti-terrorism assessment unit in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.

Chief Carrillo served as the co-Chair of the United Way’s Combined Federal Campaign. He was an Honorary Director for Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association, a Webb County Heritage Foundation Preservation partner, an honorary board member of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, an honorary chair for the Laredo March of Dimes - 2008 March for Babies, and a Rotarian.

“It is with great pride and satisfaction that I retire on January 3, 2009, knowing that America’s borders are better secured today than at any time in our nation’s history. I now look forward to beginning this new chapter in my life and to enjoying some uninterrupted time with my family. They have been among my most staunch supporters, and now it is my turn to commit to them the same effort that they committed to supporting my service to our country” said Chief Carrillo. “I believe that among all civilian law enforcement personnel, it is the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol who clearly stand-out as America’s warriors; bound by enduring honor, a “can do” attitude and a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

“Serving as a United States Border Patrol agent has been my life’s greatest honor. I will always be grateful for the privilege of having served in my lifetime a cause much greater than myself.”

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.