United States Border Patrol

The United States Border Patrol (USBP), a Federal police force, is the mobile uniformed law enforcement arm of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a bureau of the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to 2003, the Border Patrol was part of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice. The Border Patrol was founded on May 28, 1924, and was originally an agency of the United States Department of Labor. Its priority mission, as a result of the 9/11 attacks and its merging into DHS, is preventing terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States of America. The Border Patrol's traditional mission still is the deterrence, detection and apprehension of illegal aliens and illicit drugs entering the United States between designated Ports of Entry. Prior to this the US Army and various para-military forces patrolled the border.

Related Topics:
Federal police - U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Naturalization Service - U.S. Department of Justice - May 28 - 1924 - United States Department of Labor - United States of America - Aliens - Drugs - Ports of Entry - US Army - Para-military

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Currently, the U.S. Border Patrol employs 9,500 men and women, and is responsible for patrolling 8,000 miles of land and sea borders. The great majority of Border Patrol personnel are deployed at the U.S.-Mexico border, where they are assigned to control drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

Related Topics:
Miles - U.S.-Mexico border

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The federal government's Office of Personnel Management found that the Border Patrol suffers from an attrition rate of approximately 42-46% for Border Patrol Agents during their first year of service. (See OPM's Federal and Law Enforcement Pay and Benefits, Appendix B1 - Quit Rate Data, 2003).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~