A Border Patrol agent who was mourned for having died "in the line of duty" reportedly succumbed to a COVID-19 related illness, as President Joe Biden has not imposed his vaccine mandates on illegal migrants intercepted at the border.
Anibal Perez was mourned from a previously held-private cause, but reports now say the Customs and Border Patrol supervisory agent has died from COVID-19 illness, according to KVOA-4 News in Tuscon, Arizona.
USBP Chief Raul Ortiz tweeted condolences to Perez earlier this month, calling the death "in the line of duty":
"The entire USBP family mourns the loss of Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Anibal 'Tony' A. Perez who sadly passed away in the line of duty. Please keep his family, friends, and colleagues in your thoughts."
Perez has served more than 15 years with Border Patrol, last as a supervisor in the Tuscon sector.
The death comes as the Biden administration has been under heavy scrutiny for their border policies and handcuffing agents.
"The agents feel completely abandoned by this administration," retired agent Gil Maza told National Review in October. "They feel like there is nobody out there for them."
Maza served 25 years at Border Patrol and noted there have been varying degrees of issues under past administrations, but noted, "this is completely different; it's almost like the perfect storm right now."
The Biden administration, while issuing vaccine mandates on American workers, has not mandated vaccines for illegal immigrants surging across the U.S. border and in many reported cases transported to various regions across the U.S.
"You're seeing that this administration has released over a million into the country with no COVID vaccine, in fact, no vaccine questioning whatsoever," National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto told the Review.
Arizona GOP Gov. Doug Ducey issued a statement on Perez's death Friday.
"'Arizona mourns the loss of Border Patrol Agent Tony Perez," Ducey wrote. "He put his life on the line to keep our border safe and protect fellow Arizonans. His bravery and selflessness made our communities and entire state stronger — and we are grateful for his service.
"My prayers are with Agent Perez's loved ones, colleagues, and the whole southern Arizona law enforcement community."
The Washington Post reported almost a month before Perez's death, at least 47 CBP employees have died from COVID-19 and more than 11,400 – about 19% of the agency's workforce.
There were at least 11 Border Patrol deaths from COVID-19 in 2021, including five in September, according to the Post.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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