Thread: Border Patrol Celebrates 85th Anniversary

CBP's U.S. Border Patrol Celebrates 85th Anniversary

(Thursday, May 28, 2009)



Washington - CBP’s U.S. Border Patrol will celebrate its 85th anniversary May 28, 2009. Border Patrol agents and employees serving throughout the world will celebrate the event.

On May 28, 1924, the U.S. Congress during the Prohibition Era passed the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924, officially establishing the U.S. Border Patrol. Initially, the Border Patrol was authorized 450 patrol inspectors. Now part of Customs and Border Protection, it has grown to more than 18,000 agents and 1,300 support personnel.

The Border Patrol is an organization steeped in heritage and tradition yet flexible enough to meet modern demands. The original mission of the organization was to apprehend smugglers and illegal aliens entering the country. Agents still use some of the same techniques and tools that were first developed and deployed 85 years ago such as tracking techniques to apprehend suspects and in some sectors horses still patrol the border in remote areas.

Today, the use of new infrastructure and technology complement the traditional, yet still effective, means of protecting the homeland. Horses are now joined by motor vehicles in the field including all terrain vehicles and snow machines. Binoculars are supplemented with high-tech cameras and hand held thermal imaging devices. Old fashioned tracking of foot sign is now augmented with global positioning devices and electronic sensors. These technological enhancements allow the Border Patrol to continue to be an organization that responds to all threats to our country.

The events of September 11, 2001, expanded the Border Patrol mission to protect against terrorism. Although the Border Patrol still apprehends and arrests smugglers and illegal aliens entering the country CBP’s U.S. Border now employs an “all threatsâ€

Huh...No mention of the 12-20 million illegal aliens in the U.S..
Can't imagine why.