The Border Patrol agent who was shot Tuesday morning has not been identified and Customs and Border Protection has declined to give any word as to his condition.

Jim Chilton is a longtime rancher in Arivaca, a lonely southern Arizona town about 15 miles north of Mexico. He said the agent was alone when he was shot on a corner of Chilton's ranch at about 4:30 a.m. He said the agent was shot in the hand and shoulder in a sustained attack.

"He was shot several times, several times in his vest, his bulletproof vest which saved him. Miraculously, he was able to get to his vehicle and patch up wounds and get help."

Chilton’s information came, he said, from a Border Patrol official who called and emailed him. 

Chilton has long advocated for a border wall and increased Border Patrol enforcement at the Mexican border.

The Border Patrol rescheduled a press conference from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning.