Border Patrol Agent Shot, Killed Near Canadian Border

A Border Patrol agent was shot and killed at a traffic stop in northern Vermont, federal authorities said Monday.

Vermont State Police first reported that a Border Patrol agent was shot in Coventry, a town in Vermont near the U.S.-Canadian border. The incident took place around 3:15 p.m. local time along Interstate 91, closing traffic in both directions. 

Several hours later, federal immigration enforcement said that the agent died from the shooting.

“On January 20, a Border Patrol agent assigned to the US Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector was fatally shot in the line of duty,” the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The incident is currently being investigated, and CBP will release additional information as soon as it becomes available.”

The deadly shooting came on the same day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, where he followed through on a campaign pledge to issue numerous border-related executive orders. The Republican signed orders that declared a national emergency at the southern border, designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, paused refugee resettlement for several months, and ordered the end of birthright citizenship for those born on U.S. soil to illegal migrant parents, among other actions.

“Every single day, our Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm’s way so that Americans and our homeland are safe and secure,” acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman said in a Monday statement. “My prayers and deepest condolences are with our Department, the Agent’s family, loved ones, and colleagues.”

Neither CBP nor Vermont State Police provided further details on the identity of the agent or any suspects involved.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Flickr/U.S. Department of Homeland Security)