Carla Provost is the acting Chief of the United States Border Patrol. Provost was previously Deputy Assistant Commissioner. She is the first woman to head the USBP.
Provost was formerly a police officer in Kansas. Provost joined the Border Patrol in 1995, when the 5,000 member force was 5% female. After starting in Douglas, Arizona, she served as a supervisor in Yuma, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas. In January 2013, she was given control of operations for the Border Patrol's El Centro Sector. In September 2015, she was tasked with investigating corrupt agents, becoming Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Patrol's Office of Professional Responsibility.
In January 2017, President Donald Trump, who had been endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council, asked for the resignation of Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan, whom the patrolmen's union had opposed. President Trump then named Ron Vitiello Chief. In April 2017, Provost was named acting Chief after Chief Vitello was named acting Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Provost's promotion was supported by the patrolmen's union.