Honor First
and
Esprit De Corps
Honor First
“Honor First” serves as the foundation of the United States Border Patrol’s ethos, deeply embedded within its traditions and culture. This motto underscores the importance of integrity, a defining value of both the organization and its members. Integrity encompasses honesty, strong character, principles, ethics, morals, righteousness, virtue, decency, fairness, sincerity, truthfulness, and trustworthiness, all of which collectively define honor.
In both organizational and individual contexts, “Honor First” represents a commitment to integrity, demonstrated by adherence to established laws, regulations, directives, policies, and rules, even in difficult situations. Those who embody “Honor First” may occasionally encounter ethical dilemmas but will promptly self-correct. Conversely, those who do not adhere to these principles may repeatedly challenge ethical boundaries without self-correction.
The motto "Honor First" is believed to have originated from the El Paso District in 1926, which, at the time, encompassed what are today known as the Tucson, El Paso, and Big Bend Sectors. This broader geographical influence is substantiated by a 1929 Immigration Service Index, a digital copy of which can be viewed here. This index card reveals that the El Paso District had submitted a list of proposed Border Patrol mottos in that year. The earliest documented mention of "Honor First" appears in the 1927 report from the Commissioner General of Immigration to the Secretary of the Department of Labor, detailing activities for the fiscal year from July 1926 to June 1927. The full report is available here.
In both organizational and individual contexts, “Honor First” represents a commitment to integrity, demonstrated by adherence to established laws, regulations, directives, policies, and rules, even in difficult situations. Those who embody “Honor First” may occasionally encounter ethical dilemmas but will promptly self-correct. Conversely, those who do not adhere to these principles may repeatedly challenge ethical boundaries without self-correction.
The motto "Honor First" is believed to have originated from the El Paso District in 1926, which, at the time, encompassed what are today known as the Tucson, El Paso, and Big Bend Sectors. This broader geographical influence is substantiated by a 1929 Immigration Service Index, a digital copy of which can be viewed here. This index card reveals that the El Paso District had submitted a list of proposed Border Patrol mottos in that year. The earliest documented mention of "Honor First" appears in the 1927 report from the Commissioner General of Immigration to the Secretary of the Department of Labor, detailing activities for the fiscal year from July 1926 to June 1927. The full report is available here.
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The border patrol is a young man's organization; it appeals strongly to the lover of the big outdoors—the primeval forests, the sunparched deserts, the mountains, and the plains; the business upon which it is engaged calls for manhood, stamina, versatility, and resourcefulness in the highest degree. "Honor first" is its watchword; privations and danger but serve as a challenge which none refuses. Unfailing courtesy to all, and helpfulness to the helpless in distress, are emphasized above every other requisite. These young men are proud of their jobs—proud of their organization—with a code of ethics unsurpassed by any similar organization of this or any other day. In the three short years of its existence it has created a priceless store of traditions. The pride of these men in their organization is equaled only by the pride and esteem in which they are held by the communities in which they operate. Spontaneous testimonials of this esteem are being constantly received by the bureau. To an almost unbelievable extent the border patrol is self-governing. Its members must be left largely to their own devices and upon their honor. The weight of popular disapproval of his fellow officers is more potent with the erring one than all the printed regulations humanly possible to devise. The uniform is sacred; it not only symbolizes authority, the law's majesty and all the power of the Federal Government, but it entails obligations upon the wearer in the way of deportment which are intuitively recognized and scrupulously observed.
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While "Honor First" calls for integrity and initiative, it equally demands fidelity to lawful authority. From its earliest years, the Border Patrol has depended on individuals capable of decisive action, yet bound by the laws, regulations, and directives that define their trust. The strength of the organization lies in that balance, where courage meets conformity to principle and to the chain of command. To act independently may show initiative; to act rightly within authorized bounds shows honor. True "Honor First" therefore rests not only in doing what one believes is right, but in doing what is right as entrusted by higher authority.
The United States Border Patrol officially trademarked the phrase "Honor First" on August 17, 2010, and subsequently renewed the trademark in 2019.
A 1928 document from the San Antonio District, which includes the modern-day Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, and Del Rio Sectors, outlines 40 suggestions intended to guide early Border Patrol Inspectors. Many of these suggestions emphasize the importance of integrity.
In a 1930 selection letter addressed to new Border Patrol Inspectors in the El Paso District—comprising today's Tucson, El Paso, and Big Bend Sectors—"Honor First" was presented as both an organizational value and a watchword. New hires were explicitly instructed to resign immediately if they could not adhere to this principle.
This same respect for authority and shared standards forms the foundation of the Border Patrol’s Esprit de Corps, the pride and unity that arise when individual initiative and collective discipline work in harmony.
The Border Patrol takes great pride in its Esprit de Corps. In 2016, employees at the Border Patrol headquarters developed the following definition to encapsulate this spirit, although it was never officially disseminated:
The United States Border Patrol officially trademarked the phrase "Honor First" on August 17, 2010, and subsequently renewed the trademark in 2019.
A 1928 document from the San Antonio District, which includes the modern-day Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, and Del Rio Sectors, outlines 40 suggestions intended to guide early Border Patrol Inspectors. Many of these suggestions emphasize the importance of integrity.
In a 1930 selection letter addressed to new Border Patrol Inspectors in the El Paso District—comprising today's Tucson, El Paso, and Big Bend Sectors—"Honor First" was presented as both an organizational value and a watchword. New hires were explicitly instructed to resign immediately if they could not adhere to this principle.
This same respect for authority and shared standards forms the foundation of the Border Patrol’s Esprit de Corps, the pride and unity that arise when individual initiative and collective discipline work in harmony.
The Border Patrol takes great pride in its Esprit de Corps. In 2016, employees at the Border Patrol headquarters developed the following definition to encapsulate this spirit, although it was never officially disseminated:
Esprit de Corps
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The workplace climate resulting from a combination of organizational pride and employee morale.
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The definition turns Esprit de Corps into a simple formula and defines parts that comprise organizational pride and employee morale.
Esprit de Corps = Organizational Pride + Employee Morale
Esprit de Corps is the key to a healthy organization and engaged employees.
Honor First is foundational to the Border Patrol's organizational pride and integral to its Esprit de Corps.
Honor First is foundational to the Border Patrol's organizational pride and integral to its Esprit de Corps.
When Pride and Purpose Require Guardrails
From its earliest years, the Patrol expected its employees to operate with independence while upholding standards that protected both the organization and the public it served. The 1927 Commissioner General’s Report described the Patrol as “to an almost unbelievable extent… self-governing,” noting that its members were often “left largely to their own devices and upon their honor.” That independence was paired with expectations for conduct, as the report emphasized “unfailing courtesy to all, and helpfulness to the helpless in distress,” identifying Honor First as the organization’s established watchword.
District guidance from the late 1920s reflected the same understanding. The San Antonio District’s Forty Suggestions to Guide and Assist New and Old Patrol Inspectors encouraged employees to protect their credibility, avoid creating suspicion—“When you are walking through your neighbor’s melon patch never tie your shoe”—and maintain integrity through simple habits such as, “Don’t fail to tell the truth.” These reminders were practical rather than formal, but they reveal how early leaders understood the connection between conduct, trust, and the Patrol’s growing reputation.
That connection was made even clearer in 1930, when the El Paso District issued a selection letter to newly appointed Patrol Inspectors. The letter explained that the district’s watchword, Honor First, required only those “with whom honesty is a habit, not an effort.” It also established specific guardrails for the exercise of initiative. New Inspectors were told to “obey all lawful orders,” to “study all instructions, laws and regulations carefully,” and that once an instruction had been issued, it “must be strictly complied with.” The letter further stressed the obligation to protect the Service’s reputation: “It is your duty to your Government to report anything… which may… reflect discredit upon the good name of the Service.”
Taken together, these early documents show that pride and independence—essential qualities in a young, widely dispersed force—were never meant to stand alone. The concept of Honor First developed within a framework that tied individual judgment to ethical conduct, lawful authority, and the responsibility to uphold the organization’s credibility. These guardrails helped shape how the Border Patrol understood its mission during its formative years, and they provide valuable context for anyone seeking to understand the origins and evolution of its organizational culture.
District guidance from the late 1920s reflected the same understanding. The San Antonio District’s Forty Suggestions to Guide and Assist New and Old Patrol Inspectors encouraged employees to protect their credibility, avoid creating suspicion—“When you are walking through your neighbor’s melon patch never tie your shoe”—and maintain integrity through simple habits such as, “Don’t fail to tell the truth.” These reminders were practical rather than formal, but they reveal how early leaders understood the connection between conduct, trust, and the Patrol’s growing reputation.
That connection was made even clearer in 1930, when the El Paso District issued a selection letter to newly appointed Patrol Inspectors. The letter explained that the district’s watchword, Honor First, required only those “with whom honesty is a habit, not an effort.” It also established specific guardrails for the exercise of initiative. New Inspectors were told to “obey all lawful orders,” to “study all instructions, laws and regulations carefully,” and that once an instruction had been issued, it “must be strictly complied with.” The letter further stressed the obligation to protect the Service’s reputation: “It is your duty to your Government to report anything… which may… reflect discredit upon the good name of the Service.”
Taken together, these early documents show that pride and independence—essential qualities in a young, widely dispersed force—were never meant to stand alone. The concept of Honor First developed within a framework that tied individual judgment to ethical conduct, lawful authority, and the responsibility to uphold the organization’s credibility. These guardrails helped shape how the Border Patrol understood its mission during its formative years, and they provide valuable context for anyone seeking to understand the origins and evolution of its organizational culture.
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