Never before had CBP Border Patrol agents on the Northern Border performed winter marine patrols; instead they had relied solely on traditional ground-based units. But with greater focus on the northern border, illegal crossing at official points of entry had become more difficult. Smugglers, and those trying to enter the United States illegally, were attempting riskier water boundary crossings and selecting times when they believed there would be fewer, if any, patrols.

Greetings from B-B-Buffalo CBP Border Patrol agents along the border with Canada have expanded their cold-weather patrols since 9/11. Patrolling the Great Lakes region is particularly challenging as the agents face brutal cold and wind and treacherous seas. Plus, the area features more than 10,000 miles of U.S. shoreline. These waters have seen more than 6,000 known wrecks and nearly 30,000 deaths.

Recognizing this trend, the Buffalo Border Patrol agents began adapting their patrol efforts to respond to this new threat. Border Patrol marine agents sought guidance from their soon-to-be Homeland Security partners, the United States Coast Guard, on correct safety protocols and specialized marine cold weather survival gear.

All the usual dangers, only on ice
Marine patrol activities on the Great Lakes entail all of the dangers of normal Border Patrol operations. Agents also must exercise skill and advanced seamanship techniques to react to rapidly changing weather patterns and extreme cold. In addition to the basic marine training for moderate climates, marine enforcement agents in the North must also undergo advanced training for cold-water survival and ice rescue techniques. Training includes using specialized equipment such as dry suits and ice picks that protect from the bone-chilling temperatures should they slip into the water.

Encompassing over 94,000 square miles, 10,900 miles of coastline and thousands of inlets and bays, the Great Lakes and their river systems are formidable opponents for all mariners. From the first ship to sail and surrender to the storm ravaged seas, the Schooner Griffon in 1679, to modern day tankers such as the Edmond Fitzgerald in 1975 and thousands of ships and pleasure boats in between, these waters run deep and deadly.

Through the ages, boaters have been haunted by rapidly approaching weather fronts, devastating wind-driven seas, intense fog and water so cold that even in summer, a man overboard may succumb to hypothermia in less than an hour. During winter, with decks icing over, wind-driven spray freezing on vessels and equipment, storms raging from the north create mountainous waves from placid waters, and freezing temperatures reducing a person’s survival time in the water to a few scant minutes, vessel operators on these waters must utilize every skill in vessel handling and seamanship available.

Crucial enforcement partnerships
Marine border operations are crucial, but equally important are the new partnerships formed by the Border Patrol Buffalo sector through the Integrated Border Enforcement Teams with the U.S. Coast Guard as well as state, local, and Canadian law enforcement agencies. Regular meetings with IBET partners help to coordinate marine border law enforcement and ensure continued safety of American and Canadian citizens. Capitalizing on community involvement, the IBET concept emphasizes public outreach to educate residents, businesses and marinas on both sides of the international border on how to report suspicious activities quickly and efficiently via a toll-free number.

With recent staffing increases and new Border Patrol stations in Rochester, N.Y. and Erie, Pa., Buffalo sector marine agents are now able to confront maritime threats along the sector’s entire coastal area of responsibility.

Buffalo sector marine agents are part of a historical tradition of freshwater marine law enforcement officers who have challenged lawbreakers on the Great Lakes. But it is the dark history of the lakes, their changing nature and potential for danger that are forged in agents’ minds. With more than 6,000 known wrecks and nearly 30,000 souls lost throughout their watery history, marine law enforcement on the Great Lakes and associated waters is not for the timid. Border Patrol marine agents have accepted the challenge—to protect America’s borders day and night, in fair weather and in foul.