Border Patrol duty varies from danger to solitude

August 9, 2008 - 8:32PM
By Laura Tillman, The Brownsville Herald
The moment Rick Rosas leaves home at 7 a.m. each day, he knows his wife will be worrying about him until she hears him walk in the door that evening.



As a U.S. Border Patrol agent, there are always dangers to face. Some days, shots are fired, busts are made, and criminals are confronted, lost or arrested. Bundles of drugs are smuggled across the Rio Grande and thrown into vans, with the smugglers swimming the width of the river to evade arrest.



There are also the days when Rosas' wife has no cause for concern. Rosas drives along the levees, at times catching glimpses not of drug smugglers or illegal border crossings, but of a chacalaca in the brush or an indigo snake slithering through the grass. Some days the threat comes from several hundred mosquitoes, which he fends off with generous applications of insect repellant.



Rosas receives pertinent information from agents on duty during the midnight to 8 a.m. shift, signs out a secondary weapon - a shotgun or rifle - and receives his assignment. This year, Rosas is the public information officer for the Harlingen station, but generally he prefers river patrol.



There, agents look for sensors that have gone off, signs of trespassing and suspicious vehicles driving near the border. Other officers might prefer bike patrol, horse patrol or boat patrol. These are done on a voluntary basis, according to an agent's interests.



Rosas likes the variety of work he has been afforded. Last year, he taught Spanish to other agents, focusing on vocabulary commonly used along the border. This year, he's in the information office, and a couple of years from now he could head to Washington D.C. He knows the job isn't for everyone.



"During training, they give us examples of situations we might have to deal with in the field," Rosas said.



Individuals crossing illegally are often looking for work and a better life. At times, they seek the agents' good graces, pleading with them to turn a blind eye as they cross into the United States. The journeys of the immigrants can be long and dangerous, and that moment when they cross the border may make the difference between being deported, being jailed, or being able to proceed.



"A lot of people decide the job isn't for them," Rosas said. "You can't turn a blind eye, you just can't, because you never know who that person is. We don't know until we run a background check if we're picking up an innocent person seeking work or an internationally wanted criminal."



Although there is camaraderie between agents, Rosas is alone most of the day. If a sensor goes off, several cars provide backup, but otherwise agents cover more distance by patrolling alone.



Some days, Rosas parks his car, puts on a backpack and pushes the waist-high weeds aside. He walks along the paths that migrants have forged, careful not to trip on stretches of barbed wire that extend along the waterside.



After a day like that in the 97-degree heat, Rosas needs water, but mostly he needs to get back to his two young children and wife in Alamo.



"It can be a dangerous job," he said. "Thankfully, nothing has happened to me yet."


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