End of Watch July 17, 2021
Age 57
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
The Vigil Panel 175 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Location: Arizona Incident Date: Not available

Officer Ruben Facio died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty while on temporary assignment to Operation Southern Support in Yuma, Arizona.

Officer Facio had served with the United States Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations for 17 years.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Officer Ruben Facio died on July 17, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 57.

He is one of 884 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 daughter, two sons, father, and seven siblings.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-070C707E
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Officer Facio gave the United States Department of Homeland Security 17 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Facio.

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

Agency

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

Service Record

End of Watch July 17, 2021
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
Age 57
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail COVID19

Officer Ruben Facio is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In DC, 137 of 1,419 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.7% of this state's fallen. That is 0.6 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.

At United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, 30 of 39 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 76.9% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations
30
of 39 officers
76.9% Illness
DC — Statewide
137
of 1,419 officers
9.7% Illness
Nationwide
2,974
of 32,508 officers
9.1% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ruben Facio's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Ruben Facio Compares

Age at End of Watch
57
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.8 years
Years of Service
17
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.9 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Ruben Facio is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
181
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
291
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location