The Riverside Station was authorized on January 9, 1967, and officially opened on February 15, 1967, with an on-duty force of one Supervisory Immigration Patrol Inspector and three Immigration Patrol Inspectors. The primary function of the Station was to conduct farm and ranch check in an effort to apprehend aliens who have effected illegal entry and managed to elude apprehension in the border area and non-immigrant aliens who have made a legal entry, but proceeded away from the border area to seek employment.

From the time the Riverside Station was opened until 1973, no direct radio communication between the Station and Sector Headquarters was possible. In 1973, radio repeaters were installed at Box Springs Mountain, Banning, and Whitewater providing a direct link to Sector Headquarters and extending coverage for mobile units operating in the Riverside area.

The Riverside Border Patrol Station is responsible for patrolling 10,601 square miles. The station’s area of responsibility includes portions of Riverside County, Los Angeles County and San Bernardino, which is the largest county in the United States and extends north to the Oregon Border covering most of the western half of California. Riverside Station is located nearly 100 miles due north of the United States/Mexico International Border.