For the first time in history, one agency has the responsibility for the entirety of our country’s borders for all enforcement purposes. With the creation of CBP, we have the capability to design a comprehensive integrated strategy to keep our borders safe and secure.

Photo Credit: Gerald L Nino

U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego sector, with the United States to the left and Mexico to the right.

One result of 9/11 was that border agencies with varying missions converged and differences were set aside in single-minded clarity of mission. It was always important to protect our sovereign borders against all types of incursion, but operating under a new paradigm, CBP’s priority mission was clear—protect our nation against terrorists and terrorist weapons. CBP’s focus and resolve was sharpened because our country had seen firsthand the economic and social destruction resulting from a single terrorist act. CBP’s overarching goal is to blanket our country with security measures that keep not only our ports of entry safe but also all land and maritime borders in between.

The Border Patrol mission
CBP’s imperative for maintaining the security of our nation is unprecedented. The Border Patrol protects our borders against entry by terrorists, illegal immigrants and smugglers and also holds the line against narcotics and other contraband entering the country between ports of entry. It is frighteningly clear that the same border vulnerabilities that allow for illegal entry of an immigrant seeking economic refuge can be exploited by a terrorist, with cataclysmic results. “ The Border Patrol is an extraordinarily important operational component of CBP, and the Border Patrol National Strategy complements the national strategy for securing our ports of entry as well. It would do little good to secure the ports yet fail to secure between the ports,” said CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner.

Photo Credit: Border Patrol, El Paso sector.

Border Patrol BORTAC Agents participate in a fast rope exercise.

Our border—if the reality were as simple as the phrase, placing a ring of security around the United States would be a simple matter. The U.S. is bounded by more than 7,500 miles of border between the ports of entry. On the southern border with Mexico there are approximately 2,000 miles of border, which encompass terrain ranging from mountains to low and high desert. Climactic conditions here include freezing night temperatures and intense heat, more than 110˚ F., especially during the summer months. On the northern border we share with Canada, there are more than 5,000 miles of border with vast differences in terrain and severe cold in winter.

On both northern and southern borders there are maritime areas: rivers, lakes, and other waterways that present challenges. East and west we have coastal maritime borders filled with thousands of inlets and coves that can provide harbor to smugglers and others attempting illegal entry into our country.

The Border Patrol maintains the integrity of our borders by deterring or apprehending anyone who would cross our borders illegally between the ports of entry—illegal aliens, nefarious smugglers who trade in humans, narcotics, or other forms of contraband, and terrorists and terrorist weapons.

Photo Credit: Border Patrol, El Paso sector.

Border Patrol agents review monitors showing views from the remote video surveillance cameras placed along the border.

Getting a handle on control?
Personnel, technology, and infrastructure form the pyramid of resources that the Border Patrol has in its arsenal of tools to accomplish its goal. These resources must constantly be adjusted and fine-tuned to accommodate differing environments and shifting criminal tactics.

Personnel
As part of the strategy, new personnel will be hired to cover the more vulnerable areas of our borders. All agents will be well-trained, including anti-terrorism training, which is essential to prepare Border Patrol agents to meet this threat. To provide for more consistent training, all training has been centralized at the newly dedicated CBP Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mex. (See the article, “Commissioner Bonner dedicates new CBP Border Patrol Academy in New Mexico,” in the October/November issue.)

Border Patrol personnel must also be mobile, capable of rapid deployment to areas where they are most needed. Highly trained specialized tactical or swat teams like the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue teams (BORSTAR), Border Patrol Tactical Team (BORTAC), and special response teams (SRT) improve mobility and responsiveness. These teams allow the Border Patrol to respond quickly to any threat anywhere on the border, whether it is a new smuggling route or some other type of “hot spot.”

Photo Credit: Gerald L. Nino

Unmanned aerial vehicles are technology that extends the visual range and scope of surveillance of Border Patrol agents.

Technology augments resources

Technology is the force multiplier extending the eyes, ears, and strategic capabilities of Border Patrol agents. Technologies that extend operational awareness and the range that Border Patrol agents can effectively cover are critical. Use of remote video surveillance and sensing cameras that operate both day and night, sensors, and aerial platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles allow agents to patrol larger areas or to hone in on areas of increased traffic. Biometric systems such as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) and the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) provide the capability to identify terrorists better. Radiation detection and monitoring equipment like large-scale gamma x-ray equipment is increasingly used to screen for weapons of mass destruction.

Communication and information technology also enhances the safety and efficiency of the Border Patrol operation. As the workforce becomes more mobile, radio and data communications technology gains in importance. Improved field communication through land mobile radio, cellular coverage, and enhanced satellite communication means that agents can be redeployed once they are in field positions. In addition, agents can readily communicate the need for back-up or additional equipment.

Strategic information always provides an advantage. Border awareness enhanced by technology such as geospatial information will give agents a level of site detail never before possible. Pinpointing locations and mapping smuggling corridors allows for sophisticated analysis and a basis for predicting illegal immigrant traffic and planning how best to counter it. But perhaps even more impressive is that a field agent will be able to receive geospatial digital maps in the field so that he or she can coordinate with fellow agents and provide an appropriate response to intrusions.

Accurate and timely electronic information will be passed directly to Border Patrol vehicles, enabling agents to respond more quickly and appropriately to protect the border. Records checks can be conducted from mobile data terminals within their cars at the point of apprehension rather than having to go back to a home station. An agent will know if the person he or she has apprehended is an economic migrant or a terrorist and can respond to the potential risk. “I can’t stress enough how unprecedented the access to information will be for agents in the field,” said CBP Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar.

Intelligence and infrastructure

Intelligence—tactical, operational, and strategic will be used to assess risk, target enforcement efforts, and drive operations. Intelligence sharing efforts within the Department of Homeland Security and with outside agencies will be improved. Our surveillance technology provides more concrete intelligence information, but Border Patrol agents will also use targeting information developed by the National Targeting Center and from joint terrorism task forces. In the future, agents will also begin using targeting and selectivity tools available in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).

Tactical infrastructure will be strengthened and expanded. Fencing, border lighting, all- weather border roads and maintenance of buildings and vehicles continue to complement the increased numbers of agents.

Enforcement will not stop at the border. Interior checkpoints and enforcement operations that deny illegal aliens the use of routes that move them away from the border area will be employed. Agents may find themselves working at airports, bus stations, or other transportation hubs that provide smugglers an outlet for moving their human cargo away from international borders. CBP will promote the notion of “certainty of apprehension.” The message is, “You will get caught, either before you can cross or after you do.” This, coupled with vigorous prosecution for smugglers and repeat offenders, will generate a deterrent effect.

We’re not working alone

Another key strategy for keeping terrorists out of our country is cooperation. Establishing partnerships and maintaining open lines of communication with other law enforcement organizations is a key component of the strategy. These cooperative efforts must be far-ranging and made at all levels: federal, state, local, tribal, and even with foreign law enforcement organizations. The Border Patrol will continue to work with other law enforcement entities fostering relationships and establishing complementary information systems to maintain our border security at optimum levels.

Extending into our communities

Successful border enforcement operations help to reduce the crime that results from border incursions in border communities. Maintaining the integrity of our borders also improves the overall quality of life of these communities, which includes the positive impact on their economies. An active Border Patrol presence deters illegal activity and fosters cooperation from members of the community.

A balancing act

The Border Patrol National Strategy can be viewed as several strategies, because each border area demands strategies that address the unique characteristics of that area. The southern border accounts for more than ninety percent of the one-million-plus annual arrests that the Border Patrol makes along the U.S.-Mexico border. While most of these aliens are "economic migrants,” the threat exists that terrorists may use the same smuggling and transportation networks, drop houses and other support avenues used by masses of illegal aliens.

The northern border with Canada presents different challenges. Waterways on this border freeze during winter, providing easy access by foot, vehicle, or snowmobile. Well-organized smuggling operations along the northern border also pose a threat.

Our coastal borders present still other issues. Cooperation and coordination with other law enforcement organizations is key to successful enforcement in these areas. Border Patrol operations must be able to adapt to the threat of potential mass migration, maritime smuggling, and be able to control foreign maritime crews.

Regardless of where, each locale demands a different mix of personnel, technology, and infrastructure. Getting the right balance seems almost like alchemy, but it is really a combination of intuition, analysis, and astute management. Management, is now provided directly to the field by a strengthened, centralized Border Patrol Headquarters’ command structure. The global view provided by centralized operational control ensures that resources are deployed appropriately.

“The importance of gaining control of our borders is vital to the security of our country,” said CBP Commissioner Bonner. “A nation that cannot secure its borders cannot guarantee national security.” The Border Patrol National Strategy will provide Border Patrol agents with the tools and technology to ensure that our borders are safe and secure.

Border Patrol national objectives The five-phase National Strategy is a multi-year plan that allocates resources along the U.S. borders, concentrating on areas between the ports of entry that have the highest level of illegal activity. 1. Establish substantial probability of apprehending terrorists and their weapons as they attempt to enter the United States illegally between the ports of entry. 2. Deter illegal entries through improved enforcement. 3. Apprehend and deter smugglers of humans, drugs, and other contraband. 4. Leverage “smart border” technology to multiply the effect of enforcement personnel. 5. Reduce crime in border communities and consequently improve the quality of life and economic vitality of regions.