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Border Patrol agent killed in Vermont worked at the Pentagon during 9/11, family says

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Border Patrol agent killed in Vermont worked at the Pentagon during 9/11, family says
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News

Border Patrol agent killed in Vermont worked at the Pentagon during 9/11, family says

2025-01-24 07:53 Last Updated At:08:01

A U.S. Border Patrol agent who was killed in Vermont during a traffic stop near the Canadian border was a military veteran who worked security duty at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 attacks, his family said.

“He was a devoted agent who served with honor and bravery,” a family statement provided to The Associated Press late Tuesday said. “He had a tremendous respect and pride for the work he did; he truly embodied service over self.”

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Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

HOLD This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP)

HOLD This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP)

A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, oTuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, oTuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Agent David Maland, 44, was killed Monday afternoon following a traffic stop, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement. A German national in the country on what the FBI called a current visa was killed and an injured suspect was taken into custody and is being treated at a local hospital.

The violence temporarily closed part of Interstate 91 about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Canada in Coventry, part of the small, 27,000-resident community of Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom section of Vermont that straddles the international border.

Maland had many chances for promotion but turned them down to stay in the field, said his cousin, Minnesota state Rep. Krista Knudsen. She paid tribute to the Minnesota native, who went by Chris, on the House floor Wednesday before lawmakers observed a moment of silence.

“He will be remembered for his courage and commitment to protecting fellow Americans,” said Knudsen, a Republican from Lake Shore. “He is also a person who served faithfully with honor and bravery. He always put his service above himself.”

Maland, whom the FBI confirmed was a U.S. Air Force veteran, was killed close to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station, part of the Swanton Sector that he was assigned to. The sector encompasses Vermont, parts of New York and New Hampshire, and includes 295 miles (475 kilometers) of international boundary with Canada.

The Derby Line–Rock Island Border Crossing is located about 12 miles (19 kilometers) by highway north of Coventry. It’s a major link to the Canadian province of Quebec, giving northern Vermont more French speakers than most of New England.

Maland's family said his career spanned nine years in the military and 15 in the federal government. On Sept. 11, 2001, his duty station was the Pentagon, and when news of the terrorist attacks broke, he was sent to guard an undersecretary to one of the branches of the military for several days at a bunker at the Joint Base-Anacostia Bolling, in southeast Washington.

Maland also was a K-9 handler who he served in Texas, near the border with Mexico, before heading to the northern border. His aunt, Joan Maland, said he was about to propose marriage to his partner.

“We are all devastated,” she told AP in a text. She called him an “exceptional person. Incredible man.”

Knudsen said she and Maland both grew up in Fairmont, Minnesota, where he graduated from high school in 1999.

“Chris was an incredible man and will be missed dearly. I am grateful for his service and I know he was very proud of it,” she said. “Our family is heartbroken. He died in the line of duty, serving to protect our country. We will cherish his memories and mourn his sacrifice. Until we meet again, Godspeed, you good and faithful servant.”

Maland was the first Border Patrol agent to be killed in the line of duty by gunfire since Javier Vega Jr. was shot and killed near Santa Monica, Texas, in 2014, according to records provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Vega was initially considered to be off duty at the time of his death, but in 2016 it was re-determined to have been in the line of duty, the agency said.

In 2010, Brian Terry ’s killing exposed the botched federal gun operation known as “Fast and Furious.” Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie, of the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station, was mortally wounded in the line of duty in a remote area near Bisbee, Arizona, in 2012. Border Patrol Agent Isaac Morales was fatally stabbed while off duty in 2017 in Texas.

This story was first published on Jan. 22, 2025. It was updated on Jan. 23, 2025, to correct data on Border Patrol agent killings. David Maland was the first Border Patrol agent to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty since Javier Vega Jr. in 2014, but agents were also killed by other means.

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

HOLD This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP)

HOLD This image taken from video provided by WCAX shows police cars closing off a road after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Interstate 91 near Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (WCAX via AP)

A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, oTuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, oTuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

Cars are backed up at the US-Canada border in Stanstead, Quebec, after a shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Coventry, Vt., Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Chloe Jones)

A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

A sign on an unpatrolled border street entering into Derby Line, Vermont, U.S.A., from Stanstead, Quebec, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Ex-TSMC Exec Urges Stronger Taiwan-U.S. Cooperation Amid Chip Tariff Threat

2025-02-11 16:39 Last Updated At:16:40

TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 11, 2025--

If the United States imposes tariffs on Taiwan-made semiconductors, Taiwan should work actively to enhance industrial cooperation with the U.S. to mitigate potential impacts, according to a former executive at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250210102823/en/

"Taiwan should consider how to build on its edge in semiconductor manufacturing and combine it with U.S. strengths in innovation and applications to address the threat," Yang Guang-lei, former director of TSMC’s R&D Division and former senior technical advisor to Intel, told CNA.

On Jan. 27, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. should impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on Taiwan-made semiconductors, without providing any further details.

"If Trump sees the semiconductor tariff policy through, it will affect companies in both Taiwan and the U.S.," Yang said.

"The prices of Taiwan-made semiconductors will be much higher in the U.S., weakening the competitiveness of Taiwanese vendors in the U.S. market and providing competitors such as Samsung and China with a chance to grab market share," Yang said.

"Yet given that Taiwan has an extremely high share of the U.S. semiconductor market, any supply disruption could have an adverse effect on American companies," Yang said.

"Given those conditions and Trump's desire to use tariffs to bring manufacturing back to the United States, Taiwan should rethink its role in the global semiconductor market," Yang suggested.

He urged Taiwan to actively collaborate with the U.S. to meet the challenges of global technology competition, including the possibility of transferring technology to the U.S. and sharing its 30 years of semiconductor manufacturing expertise.

"The two sides could cooperate in areas of common development, such as integrating AI into semiconductor manufacturing, the manufacturing of military goods, and other niche market areas," Yang said.

"Through cooperation, the U.S. could gradually expand its manufacturing capabilities, while Taiwan could maintain its global advantage by fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S.," Yang said.

One example he cited was a partnership between Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) and Intel in 2024 in which the two collaborated on a 12-inch wafer platform that combined the U.S. company's sizable capacity with UMC's mature process wafer production experience.

"Efforts to develop such areas of collaboration could help Taiwan maintain its competitive advantage in the global semiconductor market while deepening its long-term partnership with the U.S.," Yang said.

Technicians examine silicon wafers in a fabrication plant in Taiwan. CNA file photo

Technicians examine silicon wafers in a fabrication plant in Taiwan. CNA file photo

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