Maritime Operations Unit to take the name of fallen agent

U.S. Border Patrol agent Michel O. Maceda was killed in the line of duty on Nov. 17, 2022 during a maritime interdiction off the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico.

By The Star Staff

The Air and Maritime Operations Unit of the U.S. Border Patrol in Cabo Rojo will take the name of fallen agent Michel O. Maceda after a measure introduced by Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill (House Resolution 5302) to commemorate the memory of the maritime interdiction agent who died in the line of duty while making a drug interdiction operation off the coast of the island had bipartisan support.

“The death of the agent Maceda is a harsh reminder of the dangers confronted by our Border Patrol agents each day to protect the borders of our nation, including our Caribbean border in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” the resident commissioner said.

On the morning of Nov. 17, 2022, agents of the Border Patrol were alerted to a suspicious boat located some 13 miles off the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico.

When the agents approached the boat Maceda was killed in an exchange of gunfire.