End of Watch July 13, 2020
Age 49
Tour of Duty 19 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Roel De La Fuente died after contracting COVID-19 as the result of presumed exposure at the Pharr Commercial Facility in Hidalgo County, Texas.

Officer De La Fuente had served with the United States Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations for 19 years.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Officer Roel De La Fuente died on July 13, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 49.

He is one of 885 officers honored here, and one of 29 at United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations.

Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.

Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Officer De La Fuente gave the United States Department of Homeland Security 19 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer De La Fuente.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdhscbpofofed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 13, 2020
Tour of Duty 19 yrs
Age 49
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

The Sacrifice · Illness

Roel is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 2020, 346 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 2nd heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Roel was 49. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Roel had served 19 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

July holds 7% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Mondays: 14.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations has 39 officers remembered here, Roel among them.

VI

Where

Officer Roel De La Fuente

United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations · End of Watch July 13, 2020

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 32-E

Also Remembered

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →

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