The shooting death of 44-year-old U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland in Vermont on Monday inspired messages of condolences for his family and support for his fellow agents defending America’s border.
And because it occurred in the Swanton Sector — which includes the New Hampshire border — and on the same day President Donald Trump was sworn in on a pledge to increase immigration enforcement, Maland’s death resonated far beyond Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
Ryan Brissette, a Department of Homeland Security press officer for the New England region, told NHJournal Maland, who lived in Newport, Vt., “succumbed to injuries caused by gunfire following a traffic stop in the town of Coventry.”
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s thoughts and prayers are with Agent Maland’s family during this difficult time,” Brissette said.
Early reports indicated the shooter was in the U.S. illegally, perhaps on an expired visa. However, late Tuesday the FBI said the suspect was a German national in the U.S. on a current visa. He was accompanied by a woman — an American citizen who was wounded in the exchange of fire. Both people are believed to have been armed.
Why was the couple armed? What were they doing near the border? Why did they open fire on Border Patrol officers?
These questions are the reason the state should continue its support for enforcement of the state’s border with Canada, Republicans say, and why it’s time for the era of lax enforcement to end.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who pledged to support increased immigration enforcement in her campaign last year, offered her condolences Tuesday to Maland’s family.
“My heart goes out to the family and colleagues,” Ayotte said, adding that the slain officer was “killed in the line of duty protecting our border.”
“It should be more than clear that the Northern Border Alliance is critical to the safety of our state and our nation, and they must have the resources necessary to do their jobs,” Ayotte added. ‘We must do everything we can to ensure our Border Patrol and local law enforcement have the tools they need to secure the Swanton Sector.”
Republican legislators also spoke out.
“Thinking of the family, friends and colleagues of the Border Patrol agent in Vermont who was killed in the line of duty yesterday,” House Speaker Sherm Packard (R-Londonderry) said. “Our hearts and prayers are with them all during this difficult time.”
Senate President Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry) called the incident “truly devastating.”
“We will work to fund and defend our own border so that these devastating events stop. One life lost in the line of duty is one too many.”
The CBP’s Swanton Sector of the U.S.-Canadian border covers parts of New York state, as well as all of Vermont and New Hampshire’s northern borders. The sector saw a massive surge in illegal crossings during the Biden administration, hitting a new record last year.
In October 2023, then-Gov. Chris Sununu launched the $1.4 million Northern Border Task Force, in part as a response to the Biden administration cutting funds for enforcement.
Democrats have repeatedly decried the state’s spending on the alliance’s efforts in the past, claiming the lack of encounters with unlawful migrants within New Hampshire’s borders shows the money’s being wasted. A report from the state’s Commissioner of Safety earlier this month noted just four reports from CBP about suspicious activity at New Hampshire’s border.
In response, state Rep. David Meuse (D-Portsmouth) wrote dismissively, “Update on NH’s (checks notes) ‘Northern Border Crisis’…
And during Ayotte’s successful campaign for governor, Buckley mocked her for visiting the New Hampshire-Canada border and singling out lax security as a source for concern.
“Your very disturbing excitement on wasting millions of taxpayers money for a stunt to stoke fear and paranoia is reckless and shameful,” Buckley said in a social media post.
The Democrats messaging now appears in a very different light after Monday’s shooting. Perhaps that’s why Democrats, including U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), also released statements of condolence.
“Yesterday’s loss of an officer in the line of duty is a tragedy, and my thoughts are with the agent’s family and colleagues,” Shaheen said, adding that she would “keep advocating for more federal resources to ensure that U.S. Border Patrol agents have what they need to safely do their jobs.”
The northern border issue is particularly problematic for Shaheen, who faces a possible reelection bid in 2026. When Sununu launched the Northern Border Alliance Task Force, he pointed fingers directly at Shaheen and the rest of the federal delegation’s failure to restore funding cut by their fellow Democrat, President Joe Biden.
In 2018, New Hampshire received nearly $4 million from the Trump administration through Operation Stone Garden. Those funds were slashed to just $180,000 by the Biden administration in 2022 and $200,000 in 2023.
“We’ve asked our federal delegation to help. They’re always willing to go up and take a photo out, but they’ve done absolutely nothing to take this issue seriously enough to put funds and resources where they belong,” Sununu said at the time.
Asked about Shaheen’s statement Tuesday that she is advocating for federal resources at the New Hampshire border, Sununu wasn’t impressed.
“She’s a tireless fighter for our nation’s security…Oh wait – No, she’s not,” Sununu replied. “Typical comment from an outdated politician who has overstayed her welcome.”
