History
The Naco Border Patrol Station is one of eight Border Patrol Stations with the Tucson Border Patrol Sector located on the Tucson Sector’s East Corridor (Douglas/Naco).

The word Naco is believed to have originated from two different sources. One source is believed to have been from the Opata Native American language meaning “prickly pear fruit”. The other originates from the locals as a combination of the last two letters of the words Arizona and Mexico (the two areas in which the town was originally founded).

Since the times of the American/Indian Wars (specifically with the Chiricahua Apaches) and the 10th Cavalry’s Buffalo Soldiers, the areas of Naco and Cochise County Arizona has been known as an active zone in the protection of the United States Borders. The Buffalo Soldiers would deploy and patrol the areas of Naco and Cochise County, Arizona from their main garrison and headquarters in Fort Huachuca, Arizona from 1877 to 1886. The area was also patrolled and protected by units of the United States Army under the command of Brigadier General John J. Pershing during the period of 1915 to 1917 in their attempts to defend the United States against the incursions of Pancho Villa and his rebel army.

The Naco, Arizona area has always had a Border Patrol presence, since before 1924, when the patrol was known as the Mounted Inspectors. The many ranches and farms of the area provided a draw to illegal aliens looking for work, and farm and ranch check was performed by agents as they went about their duties. In the 1930’s and 40’s, Nogales agents would arrive periodically in Naco to perform operations, and the aliens apprehended would be put on trains and returned to Nogales, Sonora after being processed at the Naco Port of Entry.

This arrangement continued sporadically until Douglas Agents began to work the area as part of their territory. Naco did not have a permanent U.S. Border Patrol presence until 1982, when Douglas Agents began to work this area from a sub-station at the port of entry in Naco. It patrolled the International Boundary west of Paul Spur to the Huachuca Mountains and the territories north up to I-10 with a total of 18 Agents. The current station was designed and built in 1987 to house 25 Border Patrol Agents and their enforcement equipment.

As of early February 1989, the Naco Border Patrol Station has operated as an independent station within the Tucson Border Patrol Sector. Over 300 Border Patrol Agents are assigned to patrol and enforcement duties. The Naco Border Patrol Station and its agents recorded the most apprehensions in the Nation for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003. As of May, 2007, it is still considered one the busiest stations in terms of apprehensions within the United States Border Patrol.

Area of Responsibility
The Naco Border Patrol Station’s area of responsibility (AOR) is located within the Cochise County in south east Arizona covering approximately 1,175 square miles. This includes 32.5 miles of International Boundary with the areas of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, Naco, Sonora, Mexico, and Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. The station’s AOR commences near Paul Spur west of Douglas, Arizona, continuing west through the San Pedro River Valley to the crest of the Huachuca Mountains in the Coronado National Forest.

Sections of the Dragoon Mountain ranges, Mule Mountain ranges, Huachuca Mountain Ranges, and the Whetstone Mountain ranges are included in the Station’s AOR and includes a large part of the Coronado National Forest and its canyons. The San Pedro River starts in Mexico, flowing north into the United States through the Naco Border Patrol Station’s AOR near Palominas, Arizona.

The AOR includes the cities and towns of Sierra Vista, Arizona, Hereford, Arizona, Palominas, Arizona, Huachuca City, Arizona, Whetstone, Arizona, Tombstone, Arizona, Bisbee, Arizona and Naco, Arizona. The Naco Border Patrol Station is also responsible for sections of Arizona State Highways 92, 80, 90, and 82 with a temporary highway checkpoint near milepost 304 on Highway 90.