New Border Patrol chief talks challenges, wins in the Tucson Sector

The new chief of the Tucson Sector Border Patrol, Sean McGoffin, was on the job for less than two weeks when he sat down with AZPM's Danyelle Khmara.

McGoffin began his career as a field agent in the Tucson Sector in 1996. He’s been chief patrol agent in four sectors — Havre Sector on the Canadian border with Montana, Big Bend Sector in Texas, and Yuma for 14 months before coming to head Tucson.

DK: What do you see as being some of the biggest challenges so far in the Tucson Sector? And is there anything that you've identified as being different in the way that you're going to handle things than your predecessor?

SM: Well, I mean, I've only been on the ground for like a week and a half, so for me, I'm actually observing what's going on. My predecessor did a great job, and I've known him for many, many years.

You know, I might have a different approach, as far as I'm looking at, gotaways, things like that. I'm looking at those kinds of numbers because those are always a concern for every chief. What don't I know? And so we're looking at that particularly hard right now to see what we can do to mitigate and get those numbers down.

Those numbers are down significantly from the previous year. And so my predecessor did a great job. We're just going to continue to push that and make sure we mitigate those gotaways.

DK: And how have you been able to get those numbers down so much? Or, how did your predecessor?

SM: Well, a lot of it has to do with how we apply consequences, removals, things of that nature. Our numbers are down 81% as far as encounters across the Tucson Sector itself, but our prosecutions are up over 200% and those are consequences that are applied when necessary or available, and we will look at that. Removals are another aspect in which we do that, our expedited removal program, things of that nature, have also helped to drive those numbers down.

The number of migrants apprehended in the Tucson Sector in October was just over 11,000 — a far cry from the record highs of December 2023 when Border Patrol apprehended more than 80,000 people, most of which turned themselves over to authorities in hopes of asking for asylum.

In June, Biden issued executive actions that doubled the percentage of people put into expedited removal to be quickly taken out of the country, essentially restricting access to asylum for many who crossed the border between ports of entry.

Officials have done more than 700,000 migrant removals and returns in fiscal year 2024 — the highest it’s been in nearly 15 years.

“Gotaways” refers to migrants who cross the border unauthorized and evade Border Patrol.

DK: And do you have a number on gotaways? I've always heard that was kind of a tricky thing to get a number on.

SM: Well, I don't really have an exact number, but anytime you suspect there's gotaways, or you do have known gotaways, then we actually, you know, that's what we look at, right? We don't want to have any gotaways, okay?

DK: OK, so you don't have a sense on —

SM: I don't have an exact number for you, but they're not significant, but any one number is too much for me, so we want to look at those and do what we can to mitigate them to the lowest number possible, if any number.

DK: OK. And so you were the chief in Yuma then, when there were some changes through executive orders, as far as how quickly you would remove people from the country who are crossing. What was that like overseeing that change and what is it going to be like enforcing those new rules while they still stand in the Tucson Sector?

SM: Well, all that really did was just help us to continue what we were already doing. We were removing people in Yuma, utilizing our processes to expedite removals, enhanced expatriate removals, to help with the processes of the immigration process itself, right? … And so we reduced our entries by 69% last year as a result of that. And we're continuing to do the same thing here. The same thing is going on in Tucson. It was going on before I got here, and it's going to continue on while I'm here.

DK: And do you have any sense on why that might be, that there was that shift?

SM: Well, I mean, the reality is, at that time, it makes it easier to remove people from the country. And, you know, I think people are like, you come here, you come to the United States, and then you get removed, you're going to go home and tell everybody that I just got removed when I went to the United States. Word gets out, and less people are more likely to come.

Again, and there's other things, like prosecutions, you know all these applications of consequences. That word gets out that that's what's happening when you try to cross the border illegally.

DK: So if somebody says that they want to make an asylum claim, what is the process with that person?

SM: Well, when they come to us, then we have to make sure we afford them the opportunity to have that claim heard before an asylum officer.

DK: And so is that still happening even since the executive order that was saying that people needed to be quickly returned?

SM: We don't have any lawful authority to terminate where that credible fear is valid or not. So if they claim fear and that is found to be valid, then we will forward them through the immigration process.

DK: OK, so in other words, people are not being quickly returned who are asking for asylum?

SM: Exactly, they're not being returned. But if we put them through our processes, and they have the opportunity, while still in our custody to talk to an immigration judge, or somebody from CIS or ERO, go through CIS and then make that determination through that process and they reject that claim, then we would continue to remove them. If we don't have the availability to hold them anymore, then we'll forward them to a report date or or a court date to hear that asylum claim.

There are domestic laws and international treaties that outline people’s right to apply for asylum. While in custody, they should receive the chance to speak with an immigration judge or officials from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) or Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

This process involves reviewing the asylum claim while the individual is in custody, and if the claim is rejected, they are either removed or given a court date if they cannot be held any longer.

The ACLU and numerous immigrants rights groups filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration in response to the new order, saying that it violates asylum law, restricts access to asylum protections and puts thousands of lives at risk.

AZPM spoke to numerous migrants over the summer who said they had been quickly returned after crossing unauthorized and were not given an opportunity to make an asylum claim.

DK: OK, and then something else that I saw, that you had done in Big Bend Sector, was that you had overseen a number of rescue beacons go out into the field, I believe, for migrants who get lost.

SM: Yes, and that's a concern for anybody. I think one of the biggest things that people don't know that the Border Patrol actually does is we're involved heavily in the rescue business of people that are in distress. And unfortunately, you know, smugglers will treat people as a commodity rather than a human being, oftentimes. And we see people that are left in difficult situations. And one thing that was different about Big Bend was that you saw people in the winter months get caught in snow storms and pass away due to conditions and elements, and the same thing in the summer months.

And those are two horrific ways to pass away, and we don't like to see that. That's why we go after smugglers as hard as we do, because we want those prosecutions to go up to stop those people from putting these, these migrants, in such perilous conditions. And it's really, really difficult for our agents, and that's the human side of it when we have to go out there. We do our best every time to rescue individuals out of the desert, out of these difficult conditions, and get them to safety, get them healthy again.

Rescue beacons are deployed by Border Patrol in remote areas, where migrants cross the border, to call for help if they are lost or in distress.

They are in several sectors, including Tucson and Big Bend. While the Big Bend Sector has seen 20 to 30 migrant deaths annually in recent years, the Tucson Sector averages close to 200.

DK: In your experience, do you see that under different administrations that things change a lot for the agency, or not?

Before the interview Border Patrol told AZPM that they would not answer questions about the upcoming transition to a Trump administration.

SM: Well, I mean, I've been fortunate in one capacity or another in working for the federal government. I've literally worked for every president since Ronald Reagan. And so, we work for the executive branch, and no matter who's running the executive branch, we follow the policies and procedures and the laws that are provided that we are we need to go by to function and do our job responsibly.

And so we have seen changes over the years, but you know, really, the basic fundamentals of our job never really change. You know, we need to make sure we notice anything that crosses the border. Interdict that, determine what it is, collect the information from it, and then properly adjudicate it, whether it's drugs, whether it's people, whether it's, you know, anything from Cuban cigars to — you know, one time I actually interdicted a truck full of fighting roosters. I mean, we come in contact with a lot of different things, but it always remains the same. We have to make sure that we are aware of anything that crosses the border, interdict it, collect information from it, and properly adjudicate it, whatever that may be. And that has never changed in my entire career.

DK: And so Arizona just passed this proposition 314 that is going to give local law enforcement more power to arrest people that cross the border. Does that calculate into any plans that you're making?

SM: The only plan that I'm making in regards to that is that we will respond to any call that is given to us by law enforcement when they need our assistance, and we will respond. I mean, that has never changed, never going to change. And you know, should they call us they have somebody in their custody, we'll respond to that. That's never going to change.

Arizona border security measure Proposition 314 passed this month with more than 60 percent of the vote. Sent to voters by state Republican lawmakers, 314 will enact a host of new regulations under the umbrella of border security.

It would make it a state crime to enter Arizona from Mexico between ports of entry. The law would require local law enforcement to arrest these migrants and state judges to deport some of them.

However, that part of the law cannot go into effect until a similar law in Texas, Senate Bill 4, which is currently pending a legal challenge, is resolved in court.

DK: And then also, I was interested to know about — I had covered some of the pursuits, mainly in human smuggling circumstances, that had led to some crashes, and I know that there was a policy change on that. Have things changed, the way that you see them, as far as Border Patrol pursuing people that are fleeing?

SM: Well, it just makes sure that we're being cognizant of our surroundings and what's going on and how, you know, how the effect of the pursuit itself, may have an impact on the public. And we just have a really strong awareness. We go through a lot of training now to make sure that we have that awareness, and that way we can mitigate as much danger to the public as possible.

DK: So is there more training since the policy than before?

SM: Well, I think we just really enhanced that training and talked about it a lot more. You know, I think it's just important for us to make sure that everybody has that clear understanding.

DK: And do you know if crashes related to such pursuits have changed, as far as numbers?

SM: I don't know the numbers currently. Again, I've only been here for a week and a half, so I'd have to go back and look at what has transpired here in Tucson Sector, but I know in Yuma, we saw a lot less.

In recent years the number of people suspected of human smuggling fleeing Border Patrol has increased, as have deadly pursuits, including several in Arizona. U.S. border authorities updated their policy, last year, for pursuing smugglers and those suspected of other crimes, following an extensive review.

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