Border patrol agent dies in Texas

A U.S. Border Patrol agent died in Texas on Wednesday, according to The Washington Examiner. 

Supervisor Jorge Maldonado worked in the area of Eagle Pass in south-central Texas, and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who represents that region, confirmed Maldonado's death to the Examiner on Wednesday.

Two agents told the Examiner that Maldonado died in the line of duty, but after the initial publication of the article on Thursday morning, they clarified that the timing of his death had not yet been determined.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol did not respond to a request for comment about the agent's death.

Little information

Not much information about the death has been made publicly available.

Ticklethewire.com reported that Maldonado died from a "heat-related health incident, not an attack."

Timeanddate.com reported that the high temperature in Eagle Pass on Wednesday was 93 degrees. It was several degrees cooler than Monday's high of 99 degrees and Tuesday's high of 97 degrees.

The Examiner reported that a private Facebook page for Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass posted information about Maldonado's death and other agents posted condolences there.

A Facebook post in 2020 featured a photo of Maldonado with agents who graduated as EMTs.

Agent deaths rare

Deaths among the 19,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents are rare, the Examiner reported.

In March, another Eagle Pass Border Patrol Agent, Chris Luna, died in a helicopter crash while on duty.

Two members of the New York National Guard also died in the crash.

The New York National Guard UH-72 Lakota helicopter was part of Joint Task Force North, an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security.