Border Patrol Career
Nearly 85 years ago, the US Border Patrol, as most of us know it, was founded as an agency under the Department of Labor. Agents were placed primarily along the southwestern border of the United States to act as a deterrent against smuggling -- both drugs and people.
As early as 1904, the Federal government instituted the use of mounted guards or mounted inspectors along the southern borders in an attempt to control illegal entry into the United States. The need to secure the borders of the United States became amplified as historical events unfolded - Mexico's civil war, World War I, the enactment of strict immigration laws - bringing combined pressure on national security concerns.
Preserving national security along the United States borders has expanded and contracted over the years, pulling agents from the central-southern borders between Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California to the shores of Florida in the 60s, as the concern over Castro's Cuban aggression peaked.
The US Border Patrol served under the Department of Labor and later, the Department of Justice, as part of the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS). In 2003, the INS was disbanded and the US Border Patrol moved under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), becoming the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency.
The tragic terroristic events of 9-11 were instrumental in bringing the US Border Patrol under the jurisdiction of the DHS, broadening the scope of apprehending persons and drugs illegally entering the country to people and weapons of terroristic threat.
The explosion of illegal immigrants from Mexico in the 80s and 90s revealed the ineffectiveness of several deterrent actions practiced by the CBP. Employer sanctions auditing worker status was unsatisfactory in controlling the influx of illegal aliens and in the 1990s the agency turned to forward deployment of agents, placing them at the borders for apprehension of illegal aliens and drug smuggling.
Recent years have seen starting pay scales bumped up, the implementation of specialized response units, and strong apprehension targets. In 2005, CBP identified the following five main objectives:
1. Apprehension of terrorists and terrorist weapons
2. Improve enforcement of illegal entry into the United States
3. Apprehend, through superior detection, smugglers of drugs or people
4. Utilize technological advances to support border patrol actions
5. Reduce crime rates in border towns
Today, in the face of burgeoning human and drug trafficking, the Border Patrol sets its sights on Federal monies earmarked for the recruitment of 6,000 new agents, an action which would take the Border Patrol force from 12,000 to 18,000 agents.
If you value freedom but know there is a price. If you want to put on the uniform and serve your country. If you have the courage to do what needs to be done, then the Border Patrol may be for you... for information that may change your life visit: Border Patrol Tips
Border Patrol Career
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