By Steve Neavling
The Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector has a new leader.
CBP tapped Patricia McGurk-Daniel to serve as chief patrol agent of the sector.
McGurk-Daniel, a 24-year veteran with the agency, will be the first woman to lead the sector.
She replaced Aaron Heitke, who became the sector’s leader in early 2020 when his predecessor, Rodney Scott, was promoted to head the full Border Patrol. Heitke retired on June 24.
McGurk-Daniel most recently served as chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector. Her first assignment with the agency was to the Nogales Border Patrol Station in the Tucson Sector.
McGurk-Daniel has served in numerous sectors and completed assignments at the Border Patrol Academy, Border Patrol Headquarters, CBP’s Office of Intelligence, and CBP’s Office of the Commissioner.
She also served in several leadership positions, including commander of the CBP Migration Crisis Action Team, patrol agent in charge of the Brown Field Station, deputy chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol Academy, acting chief patrol agent of the Spokane Sector, and deputy chief patrol agent of San Diego Sector.
“I am honored to serve the Border Patrol agents and mission support staff of the San Diego Sector who have dedicated themselves to protecting our great nation,” McGurk-Daniel said in a news release. “San Diego Sector has one of the most complex and challenging border environments in the United States, and partnerships with local, state, federal, tribal, and foreign agencies are an integral part of securing that environment. I look forward to working with those partners to create a unified front against the transnational criminal organizations that operate in the California corridor and beyond.”
McGurk-Daniel received a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Phoenix and is a graduate of the CBP Leadership Institute and the Department of Homeland Security Executive Capstone Program.
