Tucson Standard

John Modlin, Chief Border Patrol Agent of the Tucson Sector, said border agents patrolling highways south of Tucson stopped a U.S. citizen who was smuggling ‘four concealed migrants’ in his car.

“Agents from the Willcox Station arrested a U.S. citizen driver for human smuggling,” Modlin said in a post on X. “Agents conducted a vehicle stop on SR-90 and discovered four concealed migrants in rear seats and cargo area of the vehicle. The migrants were returned to Mexico.”

John Modlin is the Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) of the Tucson Sector, having served as the interim CPA in 2020 and 2021. Modlin joined the US Border Patrol in 1995 and has since worked in a variety of positions in the San Diego Sector, Detroit Sector, Miami Sector, and several posts on either coast. 

U.S. Border Patrol, a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for safeguarding the nation's borders and preventing illegal entry of people and contraband. Established in 1924, it operates in 328 ports of entry and protects 7,000 miles of land borders and 95,000 miles of maritime borders.

One of the nine sectors of the U.S.-Mexico border is the Tucson Sector, which covers 262 border miles and includes all of the Arizona-Mexico border and parts of the California-Mexico border.