Patrol growing along the Hi-Line
By MARTIN J. KIDSTON of the Helena Independent Record

SCOBEY, MT - The U.S. Border Patrol's new station sits on a hill east of here, surrounded by barbed-wire fencing and a long garage that resembles a mini-storage.

For those who call this station home, the new campus marks an improvement over the one-room shack it replaced in 2007. It's just one of several new Border Patrol stations planned or recently completed across the Hi-Line.

An influx of federal funding, coupled with an aggressive recruitment campaign and the slow but steady redeployment of agents from the southern border to the north, has given the Border Patrol a new profile on Montana's northern tier.

Improvements to infrastructure and growth have come a long way in the past year. Last fall, a report by the Government Accountability Office pointed out security shortfalls that jeopardized the nation, from drug trafficking to the threat of terrorists crossing the border undetected.

While improvements are still being made, the changes have made it easier for the Border Patrol to carry out its new mission, one that was redefined after Homeland Security created U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2003.

“Before, we were enforcing immigration laws throughout multi-state regions,â€