Elsewhere, it’s 3 a.m. and many miles from U.S. shores a CBP marine crew waits in the pitch-black night. The seas are choppy as a CBP boat idles with lights off. A nearby smuggler’s boat is running dark, too. But the CBP marine crew sees it, approaches, makes contact and signals intent to board. No response. In a flash, lights flick on and the smuggler’s boat moves out with a burst of speed. The CBP “go-fast” interceptor boat powers through the water in hot pursuit of the vessel, and soon the chase is over.

Photo Credit: James Tourtellotte

Two Midnight Express boats, the most powerful law enforcement vessels in operation, and a Blackhawk helicopter patrol off the coast of Miami. They are part of the arsenal of CBP Air and Marine that expands CBP's reach in the fight against terrorism and illegal activities.

CBP Air and Marine makes true the old saying, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”

These scenes are everyday occurrences for employees of the newest member of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection organizational family, CBP Air and Marine. This year, CBP consolidated air and sea functions to form one unit to provide an important weapon in the fight to control our borders.

The world’s largest law enforcement air force
The new CBP Air and Marine includes the former Air and Marine Operations that was originally part of U.S. Customs but which had moved to Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the formation of the Department of Homeland Security. This group is joined by air and marine components from the Border Patrol with some port resources.

With 263 total aircraft and more than 1,200 aviation dedicated employees, CBP Air and Marine is the largest law enforcement air force in the world. Consolidation of these resources paves the way for more efficient and economical operation and provides strategic planning advantages for CBP.

While aviation assets enhance CBP’s ability to perform its mission, according to William Daley, CBP Air and Marine Chief of Staff, “Air domain awareness is the most critical contribution that the aviation program makes. Aviation crews have the ability to infuse intelligence into all CBP operations.” Being the “eyes” of many enforcement operations results in safer and more efficient targeting for land or marine based enforcement operations.

Different class of smugglers
Air crews flying the skies over our county’s borders intercept aircraft that may be carrying illegal aliens, contraband or potential terrorists attempting unauthorized entry. “Smugglers attempting to cross borders illegally by air are very different from those who attempt land crossings,” Daley says. “Access to an aircraft and someone who can pilot it are indicators of a more sophisticated or better-financed smuggler.” CBP pilots make air-to-air, air-to-land and air-to-sea interdictions, ensuring that airspace over our country is secure.

Looking down on the land or seascape, pilots and aircrew can spot anyone attempting unauthorized entry and coordinate with marine and ground personnel to stop illegal breaches of our border. This vantage point provides reconnaissance and enforcement advantages in intercepting illegal traffic.

Aviation program operations have thrown a monkey wrench into the distribution networks of narcotics traffickers. CBP air teams have assisted in at least 50 percent of the cocaine seizures in this country. During fiscal years ‘05 and ‘06, CBP pilots and their support teams have kept more than 100 tons of cocaine off U.S. streets.

Watching over the shores
CBP’s marine program, combining resources from Border Patrol and CBP Air and Marine, has more than 200 boats and 220 agents working to carry out the CBP mission. The fleet consists of small, fast and highly maneuverable vessels that conduct operations in river environments, specially equipped Safeboats used in the hazardous environment of the northern border, and the 39-foot Midnight Express, the most powerful law enforcement vessel in the world.

CBP is responsible for 95,000 miles of shoreline, but also operates boats in lakes and rivers. But labels cannot begin to explain the wide variety of settings in which our marine personnel operate. The environments are so different that there are two distinct positions for marine personnel—marine interdiction agent and Border Patrol agent (marine). Marine interdiction agents wear tan uniforms and usually work in coastal/lake waters, but may patrol in any marine environment. Marine Border Patrol agents wear their customary green uniforms and principally work in either river or lake environments, but may also work in coastal waters along the coasts of Florida or California.

Marine patrolling is vastly different from other types of patrols. An aircrew member who sees an aircraft can make a quick call to verify the flight plan and its planned destination. Not so with boats. Boats do not file any sort of trip plan analogous to a flight plan. So in some sense marine patrols are operating with less information. When they identify a boat they wish to board, they use flashing blue lights and a siren to signal a suspect boat to stop and stand by to be boarded.

Nowhere to run
“If a boat doesn’t stop when ordered, CBP agents are authorized to fire a warning shot. If the warning shot is not heeded then you’ve got the marine version of a ‘port runner,’ says John Parkey, director of marine safety, training, and standards. CBP marine agents are authorized to disable vessels that “make a run for it.” Disabling shots follow strict protocols on the relative position of the boats, the angle of the shot and other factors to mitigate risk and safely stop the vessel, Parkey says.

Air and marine assets complement each other. Pilots and boat crews frequently coordinate their tours of duty so that marine patrols can benefit from the bird’s eye view that aircraft provide. This global overview of the marine environment is invaluable in being able to track, identify and intercept boats that merit further examination before they reach shore.

Both air and marine employees receive highly specialized training. All marine personnel receive the Marine Law Enforcement Training Program as a core course at the FLETC Academy and then move on to specialized training either at McAllen, Tex. for river environment training or to St. Augustine, Fla. for coastal/lakes water training. CBP aviation employees receive specialized flight training on different types of aircraft at the CBP A&M National Training Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., while aviation border control techniques are taught at an El Paso, Texas training site.

The Air and Marine nerve center
CBP Air and Marine teams receive intelligence support from the Air and Marine Operations Center in Riverside, Calif. The center integrates military and civilian radar tracking data to provide real-time intelligence to CBP aircraft and vessels. CBP air crews can also access electronic data that provide the history of a suspect plane and criminal background checks on the pilots.

Boat captains and the crews can obtain the history of ownership, registration, and any criminal record of a boat owner through communication networks. The center is the final link in the sophisticated Air and Marine enforcement chain. Better intelligence results in better targeting and increased safety for our land, air and marine crews as they intercept those who want to violate the integrity of our borders.