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Aguadilla, P.R. – As part of a continuing collaborative effort, Ramey Station agents of the U.S. Border Patrol will embark next week on marine patrols in the island coast with a special operations unit of the Puerto Rico Police Department.

The announcement was made jointly today during a brief ceremony by the Deputy Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Ronald Colburn and the Superintendent of the Puerto Rico Police Department, Jose Figueroa-Sancha, after the completion of marine operations training by 12 Border Patrol agents.

The Joint Forces of Rapid Action (FURA, for its Spanish acronym), a specialized operations branch of the PRPD, was created to foil contraband and narcotics smuggling into the island, as well as perform search and rescue operations.

Already, Border Patrol agents work closely with FURA agents as flight observers on routine air surveillance of the island’s coastline.

The objective of the aerial and marine based operations with FURA is to detect and prevent the incursion of immigrants, narcotics and contraband in throughout the coastal borders of the island.

In addition, Border Patrol and FURA agents will continue to conduct dual training and exercises to incorporate standard operating procedures and review incident management systems.

This agreement is an end result of the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG), an ongoing collaboration between U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security counterparts, the Department of Justice and the Puerto Rico Police Department, which has consistently stemmed the flow of illegal traffic across the Mona Passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

During his remarks Deputy Chief Colburn highlighted the collective commitment of the CBIG partners by awarding a commemorative coin of the U.S. Coast Guard on behalf of Commandant Thad W. Allen, to the agent with the highest grade average of the training course.

For the Border Patrol, the expected outcome of this renewed partnership are twofold; to gain and maintain operational control of the Puerto Rico coastal borders, and to employ a multilayered approach to border enforcement.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.