U.S. Border Patrol chief Carla Provost to retire this month

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Carla Provost, the head of the U.S. Border Patrol, will step down from her post later this month, officials said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said she will depart before Feb. 1. Provost, who joined the Border Patrol in 1995, had planned to retire last month but remained in the post while officials decided on a successor.

Provost has led the patrol since 2017, initially as its interim chief. She was permanently named to the job 16 months later.

The first woman to lead the Border Patrol, Provost's tenure has been marked with some controversy. She was criticized after it was discovered last year some current and former border agents were part of a secret Facebook group that made derogatory and threatening remarks about migrants and politicians.

Provost called the posts "completely inappropriate" and "contrary to the honor and integrity I see -- and expect -- from our agents."

She was also part of the group, but said she was rarely active on Facebook and "didn't think anything of [the comments] at the time."

Provost has supported President Donald Trump's plan to build a new border wall, telling the U.S. Senate in 2018 such a physical barrier is needed for agents to perform their jobs and defend the United States from Mexican drug cartels.

Longtime Border Patrol agent Rodney Scott will succeed Provost on an interim basis, officials said.