What Role Did Border Patrol Agents Have in Killing the Uvalde School Shooter?

In the days following the Uvalde elementary school shooting, a series of new reports have uncovered the ubiquitous role that Border Patrol agents had in confronting the gunman.

One report from NBC News (Lean Left bias) revealed that agents from BORTAC, Border Patrol’s tactical unit, entered the school to find the shooter on their own accord, ignoring orders from local police to stay back. Border Patrol agents used a ballistic shield to burst into a locked classroom and killed the gunman. Local police officers were reportedly waiting outside the school for nearly 50 minutes while "children were on the phone begging to be rescued." 

Many outlets highlighted the story of Jacob Albarado, an off-duty Border Patrol officer who rushed to the scene and rescued his daughter and dozens of other children after his wife texted him that there was an active shooter. While Border Patrol agents have the authority to operate within a 100-mile radius of a coastal border, some police officials say they are considered "another law enforcement asset" in southern Texas.

Most coverage across the spectrum praised Albarado's actions as "heroic" and criticized the police's hesitant response. Vice (Left bias) and some other left-rated outlets highlighted the "tension" between Border Patrol agents and communities like Uvalde, which typically consists of "mixed-status households that include people at risk of arrest and deportation." Newsmax (Right bias) and other right-rated outlets emphasized how the White House is "declining to weigh in on reports" that say local police officials held back parents from "running into the building to protect their children."