By Steve Neavling
Border Patrol acting Deputy Chief Joel Martinez was suspended for alleged misconduct Thursday, The Washington Post reports.
A 31-year-veteran of the agency, Martinez has left CBP headquarters in downtown Washington, just a month after he was named the second-ranking Border Patrol official.
He is not currently facing criminal charges, and details of the allegations weren’t made available.
CBP spokesperson Erin Waters said the agency does “not tolerate misconduct within our ranks.”
“When we discover any alleged or potential misconduct, we immediately refer it for investigation and cooperate fully with any criminal or administrative investigations,” Waters said. “Federal privacy laws prohibit discussion of individual cases.”
Martinez joined the Border Patrol in 1992 at the Laredo South Station in the Laredo Sector. Before becoming the second-ranking official, he served as chief patrol agent at Border Patrol’s Laredo Sector. He also served as deputy chief patrol agent of the Rio Grande Valley Sector, the patrol agent in charge of the Laredo South Station, executive responsible for the Sector Intelligence Unit, and assistant chief of the Southeast Border Operations division at Border Patrol headquarters.
