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March 4, 2022El Paso, TX, United StatesOperational

Francisco B. Burrola selected special agent in charge of ICE HSI El Paso

EL PASO, Texas – Francisco “Frank” B. Burrola, who has nearly 30 years of federal law enforcement experience – 16 of those years on the Southwest Border - was recently selected special agent in charge (SAC) of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in El Paso.

Burrola, 49, a native of Tucson, Arizona, oversees HSI El Paso’s area of responsibility (AOR), which consists of 18 counties in West Texas, and the entire state of New Mexico, encompassing more than 160,000 square miles and over 800 shared miles of border with the Republic of Mexico. HSI El Paso is the only HSI SAC office physically located on the U.S-Mexico border.

“It’s a privilege to join the dedicated men and women at HSI El Paso, who exemplify professionalism in their field and commitment to safeguarding our country and keeping our community safe,” Burrola said.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move.

Special Agent in Charge Burrola leads all operational activities and administrative operations within the SAC El Paso AOR, which includes staff in seven offices in New Mexico and West Texas.

Prior to his current assignment, Burrola was the HSI SAC for the Las Vegas, Nevada, AOR, which encompasses five HSI offices in Nevada and Utah. Burrola was also the DHS Federal Coordinator and Deputy Federal Coordinator for all DHS Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) activities, which occurred several times a year.

His prior assignments include the following: Deputy Special Agent in Charge for HSI in Tucson, Arizona, Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Tucson and Nogales, Arizona, ICE/HSI Field Intelligence Director in Houston, ICE/HSI Assistant Attaché in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, ICE National Security Division Section Chief, Washington, D.C., and special agent for the legacy U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and Office of Border Patrol in Amarillo, Texas.

Burrola initiated his career with the U.S. Border Patrol in 1994 at the Brownfield Station in San Diego, California, where he rose to the supervisory ranks, prior to becoming a special agent/criminal investigator.

Burrola is the recipient of three Assistant Secretary Awards for Excellence in Law Enforcement, Protecting the Homeland, and letters of recognition from the previous and the current DHS Secretary.

HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI’s mission in your community @HSIElPaso.

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