In the case of the Border Patrol, now a division of CBP, they are playing a critical role in the defense of our borders-preventing the illegal crossing of aliens, intercepting drug smugglers, and providing search and rescue services on the rugged and remote lands that constitute our borders.

A Border Patrol agent remains vigilant on the southern land border.

Thwarting drug smugglers on the Southern border
Normally, one associates Border Patrol agents with stopping the illegal entry of aliens into the country. However, CBP Border Patrol agents make record drug seizures on a day-to-day basis. In less than a week, agents made marijuana seizures in excess of 5,000 pounds, with a value well over $4,000,000. Drug smugglers along the southern border hope to take advantage of the rugged and relatively isolated terrain to smuggle their illicit product into the country. However, CBP Border Patrol agents view this landscape as their backyard as demonstrated by the number of large scale seizures made.

Agent Willie Ruiz, of the Brown Field Border Patrol Station, with the assistance of air operations, apprehends a group of undocumented aliens, 200 yards north of the San Diego-Tijuana border.

On Saturday morning, March 22, 2003 , agents of the Alpine Station of the Marfa, Tex. sector, made the largest of the recent seizures. They were alerted to an unauthorized vehicle on private property in central Brewster County. Agents located a 1995 Ford pickup truck and tried to stop the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle tried to evade the agents and crashed the truck into an arroyo. Agents located and arrested the driver and seized 3,125 pounds of marijuana valued at $2,500,640. The owner of the pickup truck and another man who were waiting for the drug load on Highway 90 east of Alpine were also arrested. All three men, two vehicles, and the marijuana were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Capping off the weekend-Sunday afternoon, agents of the Sierra Blanca Station encountered a 1999 Chevrolet pickup truck near Neely's crossing in Hudspeth County. The driver of the vehicle turned around in an attempt to cross the Rio Grande River into Mexico. Agents tried to stop the driver by putting out a tire deflation device. Before the agents could deploy the device, the driver attempted to run down the agents with the truck. Agents fired their weapons at the truck to stop it and to protect themselves. The truck made it to the river, where the driver got out and fled into Mexico. There were 1,145 pounds of marijuana worth $916,112 in the stolen vehicle.

CBP components working together
On March 20, 2003, agents from the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station seized 1,066 pounds of marijuana near La Grulla, Tex. Agents acting on information received from investigators of the new Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), discovered an abandoned Chevrolet van. The van contained what appeared to be several sugar sacks containing bundles of marijuana in plain view inside the vehicle. The area was searched for suspects, but none were found. The seized marijuana weighed a total of 1,066 pounds valued at $852,800. The seized contraband was turned over to ICE investigators for disposition.

Three other seizures were made by the McAllen and Falfurrias Stations totaling 58 pounds of marijuana valued at $46,400.

Apprehending suspects
A determined San Diego Sector Border Patrol Agent apprehended the driver of a vehicle after a two-hour long high-speed pursuit. The driver, originally being pursued for a traffic violation, was arrested and taken into custody. Senior Patrol Agent, Barbara Kremzner, became an instant celebrity when the entire incident, captured on film by a helicopter news crew, was broadcast.

The chase, which began in Fontana, Calif., ranged in speeds from 60 mph to 110 mph. Authorities attempted to deflate the tires but were unsuccessful. As the vehicle neared the International Border, they feared the suspects would escape into Mexico.

The vehicle finally came to stop a short distance from the border. The passenger remained in the car and was taken into custody without incident. The driver, however, exited the vehicle and began running towards Mexico. The only obstacle in the suspect's path was the agent, who tackled and wrestled him to the ground just a few feet from the International Border.

The burly suspect made several attempts to escape, but was no match for the female seven-year veteran of the agency. The agent held him there until fellow officers responded and provided her with assistance. Authorities determined that the suspect did not have a driver's license and was in the country illegally. The perpetrator was sentenced to one year in jail and is subject to deportation after sentencing.

Search and rescue
While it is not their primary mission, agents who daily patrol the desolate land between ports of entry are frequently called into search and rescue missions for those who may have underestimated the danger of the terrain.

The Yuma Border Patrol Sector Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) Team was called into action the afternoon of Jan. 19, 2003, to look for a five-year-old boy who disappeared from his family's campsite in the Imperial Sand Dunes, about ten miles west of Andrade, Calif. The child was riding an ATV at the time of his disappearance. The distressed family had telephoned the Imperial County Sheriffs Department just before 1 p.m. to report the disappearance of their child. The sheriffs department contacted the Bureau of Land Management and the Border Patrol agents to find the child. The BORSTAR team was working in the area and responded immediately.

The agents began tracking the ATV tire tracks while a Border Patrol Helicopter hovered overhead. The agents followed the tracks and served as a guide for the helicopter in the search for the child. Around 2 p.m., the pilot spotted the youngster on his ATV near the railroad tracks at Clyde Siding, approximately seven miles from his family's campsite. The pilot landed his helicopter while BORSTAR agents moved to the scene. The child was in good health and good spirits when the agents approached. He was placed on the helicopter along with his ATV and taken to his family campsite.

Another dramatic rescue
Five agents from the El Centro Border Patrol Sector saved the lives of three women trapped in a vehicle that was submerged in the All American Canal east of the Calexico Port of Entry on Dec.13, 2002. The accident occurred when a vehicle failed to negotiate a curve, lost control, and plunged into the canal upside down, trapping four people inside.

The All American Canal is notorious for its deceivingly fast undercurrents and steep, nonnegotiable banks. Senior Patrol Agent Witt was the first to arrive on the scene and immediately radioed for emergency services to be dispatched before he himself entered the dangerous currents of the canal.

Agent Witt was able to pull two of the occupants free from the vehicle and swim them to the safety of the bank, before additional agents and emergency personnel began arriving.

The third person to be rescued was submerged approximately ten minutes and was promptly attended by Border Patrol Agent Lloyd C. Frers, who began emergency resuscitation. Agent Frers was able to restore the victim's breathing and is credited with bringing the victim back to life. Numerous attempts by Agent Witt and civilian bystanders to free the fourth occupant were unsuccessful. The Calexico Fire Department Captain finally ordered the rescuers out of the water.

Senior Patrol Agents Angel M. Camarena and Phillip Jacobs along with Border Patrol Agent Marc A. Battaglini also participated in the rescue attempts and assisted in the emergency treatment of the survivors.

Unfortunately, many lose their lives every year attempting to cross the canal waters both legally and illegally. Knowing the inherent dangers, the gallant efforts made by the El Centro Sector agents during the rescue attempt are exemplary demonstrations of bravery and personal resolve, according to Border Patrol agents.

Photo Credit: Michael Klensch

Pictured here are the Northern Lights over southeast Alaska, just 35 miles north from the Customs and Border Protection Scagway office.