Border Patrol names woman as acting chief

The U.S. Border Patrol has a new acting chief - the first woman to lead the agency in its 93-year history - as the Trump administration pursues plans to build a wall on the border with Mexico and hiring 5,000 agents.|
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN DIEGO - The U.S. Border Patrol has a new acting chief - the first woman to lead the agency in its 93-year history - as the Trump administration pursues plans to build a wall on the border with Mexico and hiring 5,000 agents.

Carla Provost, the deputy chief since October, was named to the job Tuesday after Ronald Vitiello became acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol. Vitiello replaced Randolph Alles, who was named to lead the Secret Service.

The moves don’t signal any shift in direction but they come as President Donald Trump seeks to make good on multibillion-dollar campaign pledges to build the wall and expand the Border Patrol’s ranks by 25 percent from about 20,000 agents currently. It marks the fourth change at the helm of the Border Patrol since late 2015, when Michael Fisher retired after five years on the job.

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