The head of U.S. Border Patrol Houlton (USBP) Houlton Sector, Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) Juan Bernal, retired during a ceremony held last week.
“On April 17th 2025 the U.S. Border Patrol Houlton Sector held a ceremony to recognize the outstanding service and dedication of its personnel. Awards were presented to agents and staff whose commitment to the mission exemplifies the highest standards of excellence,” USBP Houlton Sector posted to Facebook on Wednesday.
“The event also marked the retirement of Chief Patrol Agent Bernal. Chief Bernal’s decades of honorable service and leadership have left a lasting impact on the Border Patrol and the communities we serve,” they stated.
Bernal was also presented with a United States Border Patrol Commendation Award during his retirement ceremony.
“We also pay tribute to Chief Patrol Agent Bernal, whose decades of leadership and service have left a lasting impact on mission and the people who carry it out,” the Sector stated in a video of the ceremony. “As he steps into retirement, we thank Chief Bernal for his commitment, integrity and legacy he leaves behind.”
Bernal was appointed the CPA of Maine’s Houlton Sector, which encompasses the entire state and the northeastern corner of the U.S.-Canada border, as well as Maine’s sprawling coastline, in February of last year.
Prior to coming to Maine, Bernal was the Acting CPA of the Del Rio Sector — a 242-mile stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Throughout a 26-year career in the USBP, Bernal also served at the Douglas Station in the Tucson Sector, held leadership positions at USBP Headquarters, and served as the Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Attache in the Dominican Republic.
Bernal’s retirement comes after several leadership shakeups in the Houlton Sector and a push from the Trump administration for increased immigration enforcement.
Bernal replaced Acting CPA Dennis Harmon last February, who led the Border Patrol in Maine since the June 2023 retirement of William Maddocks.
In February of this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the selection of new Patrol Agents in Charge (PAIC) for the Calais and Rangeley Stations.
The Maine Wire has contacted USBP Houlton Sector for information regarding an acting CPA or who has been appointed to replace Bernal, but the office did not immediately respond.
In recent months, under Bernal’s leadership, the USBP Houlton Sector social media pages have become increasingly active, with Bernal himself appearing in promotional videos and public announcements.
In one video posted to the Houlton Sector’s Facebook page in March, Bernal stated “The time for looking the other way is over, Houlton Sector is back in the saddle and looking for work.”
Bernal said he will “highlight some of the great work that going into applying consequences to those individuals who choose to violate our federal law,” and proceeded to give stern warnings to illegal aliens and smugglers.
“If you are looking to cross into the U.S. illegally because you think the northern border will be easy, don’t, he said. “We will catch you and we will process you for deportation. If you are looking to use the State of Maine as an avenue for your smuggling enterprise, don’t. We will catch you, and we will prosecute you.”
Bernal also appeared in a February post in which he warned migrants of the dangers of attempting to illegally cross into Maine during the winter months.
The Houlton Sector saw a record number of encounters with illegal border crossers in fiscal year 2024 (FY24), with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reporting a total of 344 encounters, up from 300 in FY23, and just over six times the amount of migrant apprehensions in 2021.
In FY25 to date — from October 2024 through March 2025 — CBP has reported 244 migrant encounters in the Houlton Sector. Last month saw the sector’s highest number of migrant encounters, 72, recorded in the past three years.
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