By Steve Neavling

Quick-acting Border Patrol agents rescued a man from a burning car just before it burst into flames. 

Agents from the McAllen Border Patrol Station in Texas heard a vehicle crash south of McAllen and immediately responded on Saturday. 

The driver was bleeding and slumped over the wheel, CBP said in a news release Monday. 

“While executing their border security mission within their area of responsibility, Border Patrol Agents sometimes encounter various emergency situations involving members of the general public.  Our agents immediately took action to save the life of the man involved in the crash, preventing any further injury,” Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Brian S. Hastings said in a statement.

It’s just the latest rescue by Border Patrol agents. 

In September, agents from the Brownsville Station rescued a woman from a smoking car before it erupted in flames on U.S. Highway 77 in Brownsville, Texas.

On the same day, an off-duty Border Patrol agent from the Laredo Sector witnessed an armed man destroying property in a parking lot and immediately called police. The gunman then began opening fire aimlessly, “causing chaos with the surrounding civilians,” CBP said in a news release. After helping clear people from the scene, the agent identified himself and deescalated the situation before police arrived.

On Aug. 29, CBP officers were credited with saving the life of a young woman who appeared to be overdosing on opioids. Two men carried the semi-conscious woman to the pedestrian lanes at the Douglas Port of Entry in Arizona on Sunday evening. While a supervisory CBP officer notified the Douglas Fire Department, a CBP-trained medic administered two doses of Narcan. 

On July 31, an off-duty Border Patrol agent saved a man from a burning car in metro Detroit.

Also in July, an off-duty agent from the El Centro Sector helped thwart a carjacking in what the agency called a “heroic act.”

In the same month, an off-duty Border Patrol agent in San Diego detained a man who was slashing a knife through the air while approaching bystanders.

By Steve Neavling

A deputy U.S. Marshal died in an on-duty car crash near Florence, Mississippi, while he was helping with an enforcement mission. 

Jared Keyworth, who was stationed in Baton Rouge, was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson on Sept. 28, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release.

“The U.S. Marshals Service is deeply saddened by the loss of SI Keyworth. We are a close-knit family and Jared’s loss will be felt throughout the entire organization,” USMS Director Ronald L. Davis said in a statement. “This tragedy is a reminder of the inherent risks our men and women face on a daily basis.”

Details of the car crash weren’t immediately available.

Keyworth, an 11-year veteran of USMS, was a member of the Marshals Service’s Investigative Operations Division. 

By Steve Neavling

A Border Patrol agent with the Tucson Sector was killed in a head-on crash near southern Arizona shortly after midnight on Saturday. 

The driver of the other car also died in the crash on State Route 86 outside of Sells.

Shortly after the wreck, both drivers were declared dead, Border Patrol said in a statement. 

A life flight and multiple emergency agencies responded to the scene. 

The identity of the agent was not released as of Monday morning, and details of the crash were not yet clear. Border Patrol said more information would be released at a later time.

By Steve Neavling

A fundraising campaign was launched for the family of a Border Patrol agent who was killed Monday while trying to help a motorists involved in a crash in Southern California. 

The GoFundMe campaign raised more than $67,000 as of Friday morning for the family of Alejandro Flores-Bañuelos, a 12-year Border Patrol veteran who was fatally stuck by a car. 

Flores-Bañuelos left behind a wife and three children. 

“All funds will be going directly to his family to assist them with their loss and to help with future expenses,” the campaign states. 

Flores-Bañuelos, 35, was called to a report of a collision on state Route 86 near Salton City at about 4:20 p.m. Monday. When he arrived, he began helping a 75-year-old woman whose car had become disabled in the road during a dust storm. A car stuck both the agent and the woman’s car. Flores-Bañuelos, who was assigned to the Indio Station, was pronounced dead at Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley. 

The elderly driver was injured and sent to a hospital. 

By Steve Neavling

An on-duty Border Patrol agent was killed Monday after he was struck by a car while trying to help a motorist involved in a crash in Salton City, Ca.

Alejandro Flores-Bañuelos, 35, was called to a report of a collision on state Route 86 at about 4:20 p.m. Monday, The Los Angeles Times reports. 

When he arrived, he began helping a 75-year-old woman whose car had become disabled in the road during a dust storm. A car stuck both the agent and the woman’s car. 

Flores-Bañuelos, a 12-year-veteran assigned to the Indio Station, was pronounced dead at Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley. 

The elderly driver was injured and sent to a hospital. 

“It is with a profound sense of loss that we mourn the passing of one of our own, Border Patrol Agent Alejandro Flores,” El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino said Tuesday. “The men and women of the El Centro Sector will be deeply impacted by this tragic loss.”

A Border Patrol agent was injured after his government SUV rolled over in a single-vehicle accident in West El Paso on Thursday morning. 

The accident occurred about 7:50 a.m. 

The agent, who is assigned to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station, was treated by medics at the scene, near the intersection of Paisano and Doniphan, The El Paso Times reports.

The unidentified agent escaped serious injuries and was in good condition. 

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the accident. 

No more details were available. 

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

The Border Patrol Station in Rocksprings, Texas, would be renamed in honor of a fallen agent under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate.

Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, introduced the Donna M. Moss Memorial Act of 2020 on Monday.

Moss, a 15-year-veteran of Border Patrol, was responding to a call for assistance when she was stuck and killed by a vehicle in Abilene on Feb. 2, 2019.

“In addition to leading a distinguished career with the Border Patrol, Agent Doss was a loving wife, daughter, sister, and stepmother,” Cornyn said in a news release. “Her loss was another solemn reminder of the courageous sacrifices law enforcement officers and their families make every day, and I hope memorializing her service at the Border Patrol Station in Rocksprings will help honor her ultimate sacrifice.”

Two days after Moss was killed, Cornyn honored the fallen agent on the Senate floor. Here’s what he said:

“It’s with a heavy heart that I come to the Senate floor this morning to express my deepest condolences for the friends, family, and colleagues of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Donna Doss, who was killed in the line of duty this last weekend.

During her more than 15 years of dedicated service, Agent Doss has made immeasurable contributions to public safety both in Texas and beyond.

In addition to leading a distinguished career, Agent Doss was a loving wife, daughter, sister, and stepmother. Her loss is another solemn reminder of the courageous sacrifices law enforcement officers and their families make every day.

We’re grateful to all of those who put their lives on the line when they put a uniform on each morning ready to confront the unknown challenges that lie ahead. I’m particularly grateful to the men and women in green who make up our nation’s Border Patrol, like Agent Doss. I want to thank Agent Doss’s family for her selfless service and sacrifice, and I send my heartfelt condolences to agent doss’s family, friends, Acting Sector Chief Matthew Hudak, and the agents of the Del Rio Border Patrol sector where she honorably served, and the entire Border Patrol family during this difficult time.”

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

An off-duty Border Patrol agent assigned to the Del Rio Sector was killed in a car crash Monday night in Texas.

Fernando Morales, 51, was driving a 2017 Volkswagen Passat on U.S. 277 near Del Rio when a 2016 Freightliner truck veered into oncoming traffic in a no-passing zone, KRQE reports.

“I am deeply saddened to inform you of the off duty death of Border Patrol Agent Fernando Morales,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin Skero tweeted Wednesday. “He is survived by his wife and four children. On behalf of our sector family, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues as we mourn his passing.”

Morales is a native of El Paso and graduated from Irvin High School.

I am deeply saddened to inform you of the off duty death of Border Patrol Agent Fernando Morales. He is survived by his wife and four children. On behalf of our sector family, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues as we mourn his passing. pic.twitter.com/Hwq7ih5ISj

— Chief Patrol Agent Austin Skero (@USBPChiefDRT) July 8, 2020