Chief Matthew Hudak Sr. Advisor
Matthew J. Hudak became the Deputy Chief of the United States Border Patrol on December 19, 2021. He retired from federal service after 26 years in the U.S. Border Patrol in December 2023.
As second in command of the United States Border Patrol, he worked closely with the Chief to oversee and safeguard our nation’s borders. He also oversaw more than 20,000 Border Patrol Agents and Professional Staff across the country as they performed the homeland security mission.
Deputy Chief Hudak began his Border Patrol career on November 3, 1997, as a member of Class 356 of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy. His first duty station as a Border Patrol agent was at the Harlingen Station in the McAllen Sector (now known as the Rio Grande Valley Sector). He was promoted to Supervisory Border Patrol Agent in 2001 at the Douglas Station in the Tucson Sector and helped to organize and execute the Border Patrol’s first Lateral Repatriation Program.
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In 2004, Deputy Chief Hudak transferred to U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters in Washington, DC, where he helped establish and lead the Enforcement and Information Technology Division. He was responsible for developing and executing the Border Patrol’s technology infrastructure modernization project. In 2007, Deputy Chief Hudak returned to the field as the Assistant Patrol Agent in Charge of the Cotulla Station in the Laredo Sector and served as the Acting Patrol Agent in Charge (PAIC) of the Laredo Sector Intelligence Unit.
In January 2010, he was promoted as the PAIC of the Laredo South Station, where he led a workforce of 500 Border Patrol agents and developed several community and interagency initiatives. The Community Partnership Unit he established at the station received the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner’s Award for 2012. Deputy Chief Hudak was also instrumental in the establishment of CBP’s South Texas Campaign and served as the Acting Assistant Commander for Planning in which he provided strategic and operational planning support to the Joint Task Force - North.
In 2012, Deputy Chief Hudak was selected as Laredo Sector’s Division Chief for Operational Programs. He was then promoted to Deputy Chief Patrol Agent of Del Rio Sector in March of 2015 and later elevated to the ranks of the Senior Executive Service as Chief Patrol Agent of Big Bend Sector in March 2019.
In July 2020, Deputy Chief Hudak was selected as the Chief Patrol Agent of Laredo Sector which covers approximately 84,000 square miles and 136 river miles along the international boundary with Mexico and managed a workforce of over 1,900 employees spread over one sector complex and nine stations.
Deputy Chief Hudak has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Central Connecticut State University and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. He has completed several advanced training programs, including the CBP Command Leadership Academy, the CBP Leadership Institute, and the DHS Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program. Mr. Hudak and his wife, Melissa, have two children.