Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and newly appointed Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks visited Del Rio, Texas, to meet with Border Patrol staff and rank-and-file agents. Noem announced her arrival at the Texas border, stating that border crossings have dropped by 93 percent since President Donald Trump took office. The tour included an operational briefing and an aerial tour of the nearby Eagle Pass border crossing region.

During a border crisis in September 2021, nearly 30,000 mostly Haitian migrants made landfall across the Rio Grande near Del Rio. Images captured by a photographer showed Border Patrol’s mounted agents attempting to stop migrants, leading to false claims by Biden administration officials that the agents were “whipping migrants.” Despite further examination indicating the agents were using long reins to control the horses, President Joe Biden condemned the actions during a press conference.

Secretary Noem’s visit to Del Rio and Eagle Pass is not her first involvement with border security efforts. As governor of South Dakota, she dispatched resources, including South Dakota Army National Guard soldiers, to assist Texas Governor Greg Abbott with securing the Texas-Mexico border. Despite a lengthy investigation confirming the allegations against the Del Rio Sector Horse Patrol as false, some members faced administrative discipline for lesser policy violations.