Around 3:15 on Monday, just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second presidential term, Border Patrol Agent David "Chris" Maland was murdered during a traffic stop on Interstate 91 between Newport and Orleans, Vermont, about 20 miles from the Canadian border.
While it's not exactly clear what Maland was looking for, authorities say Maland and one of the stopped car's two passengers engaged in a shoot-out. Both Maland and the passenger were killed, while the third person was injured and is currently at a local hospital.
Vincent Illuzzi, who serves as the state's attorney in nearby Essex County, told the Associated Press that he saw what he believed to be the traffic stop and didn't think much about it. It appeared that the agent's white pickup truck had its red and blue lights flashing, and a small blue car was parked in front of it. The agent and another person were talking in front of the truck and behind the car.
Initially, some media outlets reported that the suspect was possibly an illegal immigrant, but according to the FBI, he was actually a German national who appears to be in the United States with a current visa. The FBI's Albany field office told Fox News that it is currently investigating the incident: "FBI Albany has numerous resources in the area, to include our Evidence Response Team (ERT), Victim Services, Digital Forensics, and dozens of Special Agents."
According to Paul Perez, president of the National Border Control Council, Maland was a canine handler. Perez told Fox News that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was involved, and the agencies were working together based off some intel they received. He says it wasn't a "targeted" operation, but it wasn't random, and Maland suspected the person or people he was looking for might be inside the car. He added that there are less Border Patrol Agents at the Canadian border compared to Mexico, so it's not unusual for them to work independently. Perez couldn't confirm whether the situation involved border security in any way, but he also confirmed that the suspect was not a U.S. citizen.
Either way, the situation highlights the fact that our national security threat isn't limited to the Mexican border. Last month, I wrote about how the number of terror suspects who enter the country illegally through Canada has grown exponentially since Joe Biden took office. In the last fiscal year, 358 potential terror suspects were encountered at the Canadian border, compared to just 52 at the Mexican one. Compare that to 2021 when only 54 suspected terrorist came in from Canada, while 103 came in from Mexico
Related: Terror Suspect Caught at the Northern Border Indicative of a Bigger Problem
Maland was 44 years old and a veteran of the United States Air Force. He'd been with the U.S. Border Patrol for nearly a decade, and he had reportedly transferred from Texas to Vermont to cover the northern border.
Chairman @RepMarkGreen's full statement on the tragic death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland, who was shot in the line of duty yesterday in Vermont: pic.twitter.com/Y1dKpRzmhx
— House Homeland GOP (@HomelandGOP) January 21, 2025
Senators Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch and Rep. Becca Balint issued a joint statement Monday night:
Vermont and the U.S. Border Patrol experienced a tragic loss when a Border Patrol agent assigned to the Swanton Sector was shot and killed near Coventry, Vermont. Our deepest condolences go out to the agent’s family, and to the Border Patrol. We will continue to monitor this situation with federal and state authorities and are appreciative of the first responders and emergency medical service providers who responded to the scene.
Border Patrol agents do important work protecting our borders. They deserve our full support in terms of staffing, pay and working conditions. We look forward to working with the agency to make sure that they have all the resources they need to do the enormously important work that is their responsibility. Together, we must do everything possible to prevent future tragedies like what happened today."
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