Presumably in anticipation of the official creation of the Border Patrol, the Immigration Service announced plans to increase the Detroit District force from 18 to 40 officers and procure patrol automobiles, boats, and motorcycles on May 22, 1924. In the announcement, Detroit was specified as the most vulnerable area to illegal entry on our borders. In June of that year, the first Sector Headquarters and Station were activated in Detroit.

The Detroit Border Patrol Station has been located at 1331 Atwater Street, Detroit, Michigan since April 1996. The Detroit Station area lies along an east-west line across the southern half of Michigan's lower peninsula separated from other Sector unit areas by county lines. The Station itself is located in the very heart of Detroit.

The Detroit Station has two Ports of Entry located in the area that provide cross border access from Canada, the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit / Windsor, Ontario Tunnel. Their area also includes a freight train tunnel that runs under the Detroit River. The international border in the Detroit Station’s area is a water boundary made up of the Detroit River to the south and Lake St. Clair to the north. The River and Lake are major shipping channels in the Great Lakes System and are easily navigated throughout out most of the year. Although the area supports no land boundary with Canada, the relatively narrow and heavily congested channels of the Detroit River present accessible locations for attempting illegal entry. The area along the international boundary is in a densely populated urban location that contains one of the highest percentages of registered boat users in the country. Agents assigned to the Detroit Station primarily conduct marine operations, train check, transportation check, and anti-smuggling duties.