TRIP TO BORDER PATROL STATION

 

 

 

 

Our tourguide, a Border Patrol Agent originally from Boston!

The arsenal

Tom, wishing he had a gun...

 

 

 

 

Well, today the workampers had a little field trip.  We got to go to the Border Patrol Station in McAllen.  There are nine stations in the Rio Grande Valley, and McAllen is the busiest.  They have 500 agents and are hiring 100 more.  Joe told us (in his heavy Bostonion accent, which sounded a little funny in South Texas), that McAllen is the busiest crossing point in the country. Last weekend alone they stopped 600 persons trying to cross the Rio Grande.  And he said that they probably only intercept about 35% of all those trying to cross.  I asked him why so many were trying to cross in McAllen and he said that there is no rhyme or reason, and that it was Brownsville before and now McAllen, which is the largest city in the Valley, about 12 miles from where we are and about 2 miles from the border.  The facility is huge and houses the holding cells where they bring the detainees, which we were not allowed to see.  They can only hold them there for no more than 48 hours, when they go before a judge.  The judge then decides whether they go to jail or get sent back to Mexico.  He said that many of those trying to get into the US have tried it 15 or twenty times, and that most all of them are just coming here for a better life, and normally are not dangerous unless they are trying to smuggle drugs, which is primarily done at border crossings and not by swimming across the Rio Grande.  It was interesting to know that the Border Control is concerned only with the Rio Grande and that US Customs is responsible for the border crossings at the bridges.
The arsenal was pretty impressive and the guys were ga-ga over the guns. 
It was sad to hear that they are all being asked to prepare themselves for a 25% decrease in their pay, which has been looming over their heads for years.  The morale is very low among the agents because of this.  When I think about all that we hear from the federal government about all that they are doing to secure the borders and then they take monies away from border security....it doesn't seem right.  Odd how that works.
All in all, the tour was great and we learned a lot.  It was an experience I did not expect to have here but was glad that I did.