On Thursday, the Trump administration announced that Carla Provost, who has been serving as acting chief of the Border Patrol since 2017, will become the next head of the agency that has terrorized immigrant communities since its founding and, in recent months, has come under severe criticism for its role in separating families crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Provost, as several news outlets pointed out, will be the first woman to lead the Border Patrol in its almost-100-year history. Her promotion is, according to the New York Times, a “significant milestone” for women at the agency, where only one out of every 20 agents is a woman. The Republican National Committee was quick to congratulate her as the “FIRST ever female” to serve in that role:
Provost, before coming to the Border Patrol more than 20 years ago, worked as a police officer in Manhattan, Kansas. As head of the Border Patrol, she plans on working to increase the number of women agents. “When it comes to women obviously there is always more that we can do,” she told the Times. “I know that I am the first female to lead the agency but I definitely know that I will not be the last one.”
Do you feel (f)empowered? Inspired? I definitely know that when I think of Provost or Kirstjen Nielsen or CIA director Gina Haspel, I feel…something. Ladies, it’s true—we can do it all.