the most influential document in USBP history?
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Without a doubt, the perspective presented in this answer is based on the author's opinion. In my research on the history of the United States Border Patrol (USBP), I found no document more significant than General Order 61 (GO 61). More details can be found below.
Signed on March 16, 1926, General Order 61 serves as a cornerstone in Border Patrol history, potentially being the most influential document for the following reasons:
Signed on March 16, 1926, General Order 61 serves as a cornerstone in Border Patrol history, potentially being the most influential document for the following reasons:
- It provides one of the earliest known descriptions of Border Patrol functions, with General Order 63 expanding on this information: The USBP is defined as an auxiliary branch of the regular Immigration Service, primarily established to prevent and detect clandestine entry of aliens into the United States. In addition, it aids in enforcing federal laws to protect the country against contraband introduction, operating along and near the international and maritime borders.
- The document introduces a hierarchical naming convention for sub-districts (modern-day sectors), identified by a number and the city where they are located. This naming approach is believed to have been applied to stations, giving rise to designations such as "Station One" for the El Paso Station and "Base #s" for Laredo Sector stations.
- GO 61 established an organizational framework that remains recognizable today, including roles such as Supervisor (Chief of the Border Patrol), Chief Patrol Inspectors, Senior Patrol Inspectors, Patrol Inspectors, and support staff like Clerks and Motor Mechanics.
- The order created reporting procedures that both one-patch and two-patch agents might recognize, such as the Daily Report (Form 650), Receipts for Persons and Contraband (Form 644, which evolved into the I-44 in the 1940s), Weekly Reports (Form 643), and Monthly Reports.
