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Trump Honors Border Patrol Agent Roberto Ortiz for Courage Under Fire at the Rio Grande

March 18, 2025 · U.S. Customs and Border Protection · 0:01:01

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump honored U.S. Border Patrol Agent Roberto Ortiz in remarks published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on March 18, 2025. Trump called Ortiz a warrior on the front lines of the battle at the border.

Trump recounted that in January, Ortiz and another agent were patrolling by the Rio Grande near an area known as Cartel Island when heavily armed gunmen began shooting at them. He said Ortiz saw that his partner was totally exposed and in great danger, leapt into action, returned fire and provided crucial seconds for his fellow agent to reach safety, as the President told the story. Trump saluted Ortiz for his courage and bravery and said the country will always honor him.

Why it matters

The honor is the administration’s human proof point for its border-enforcement narrative: a named agent recognized by the President for a specific January firefight on the Rio Grande.

Sources: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “President Trump honors U.S. Border Patrol Agent | CBP”, 2025-03-18 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-03-18). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.