Tips for the Media

Tips for the Media When Dealing with the Border Patrol

Completely unofficial comments by Ray Harris

WHO WE ARE

We are the United States Border Patrol.  The Border Patrol is a division of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, which is, in turn, a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

The men and women who work as agents are not border guards.  They are Border Patrol Agents.  That is what we call ourselves, and we hope that you will honor this.  All three words are capitalized because it is a title:  Border Patrol Agent "Border Patrol Agent Smith is a seven year veteran of the Border Patrol."  The term border guards sounds very East German to us.

THE MISSION

The priority mission of the Border Patrol is preventing terrorists and terrorists' weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, from entering the United States. Border Patrol Agents patrol nearly 6,000 miles of international land border with Canada and Mexico and nearly 2,000 miles of coastal border.  This is a direct quote from the CBP web site, which kind of surprised me, since I thought it was going to say something that I have lived with for the last twenty five or thirty years like, "To prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States and to detect and apprehend aliens who eluded detection at the border."  Things change.

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MEDIA

We love to tell our story because we are proud of what we do.  We might not want our names published due to security issues for our family members.  We put a lot of really ugly people in jail, and we ask that you obtain permission from the agent prior to publication if you plan to use their name.

We have PIO people.  These are the folks you will normally deal with.  What you want to do is get a ride along with a working agent.  Our PIO folks are nice people, really nice people.  They closely toe the company line, and that is not a bad thing.  They are trained in how to deal with the media, trained by the guys in DC.  Ask yourself, "Why is this person NOT out working in the field?" (Disclaimer for the PIO's:  This does not apply to EVERY PIO person.  You know who you are, whichever category you fall into, so don't even bother telling me.)

If you happen to get a ride along with a real sweaty, dirty BPA (you can call us that, too. Well, maybe not sweaty and dirty, but BPA is just fine.), please keep in mind that this person wants to give you a vivid picture of how stuff works on the border, the danger, the skills required to be a BPA, the empathy we have for the people we take into custody.  Please be careful with your quotes.  You can get the agent in deep doodoo.  If they slip up and use prohibited words like wet, or tonk, be aware that these are officially prohibited terms, and they are not for public consumption.  We work with these documentally challenged individuals on a daily basis, and while we mean no disrespect to anyone, the abbreviations are just too useful and too ingrained to jettison from our everyday speech.  A knowledgeable BPA told me recently that the term tonk originates from the Khoja people from Tonk, India.  I Googled it, and the story has some basis in fact. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonk,_India. The term wetback is even used by the Mexican illegal aliens to describe themselves.  They refer to themselves as mojados or panzas mojadas (wet bellies).  It even has official usage in the US government as "Operation Wetback" around 1954.  We have come a long way from using it officially to it being a prohibited word.

ROCKINGS, STONINGS, ROCK FIGHTS, ASSAULTS ON AGENTS

Rockings:  First, you need to understand that shooting someone is a last resort for a Border Patrol Agent or any other law enforcement officer.  Why do we shoot people who throw rocks at us?  The media seems to have some child-like vision of a kid's dirt clod fight.  The assailants are throwing grapefruit-sized rocks or half bricks at us.  They do not care if we are injured or killed. 

THEY DO KNOW BETTER. 

It should not come as a surprise to them when they get return fire.  Sorry, we do not throw rocks.  If you do an article on a rock-throwing incident, please ask the agents involved if they can show you projectiles, bodily injuries or damage to government property.  If you think for one minute that agents' lives are not in danger during a rocking, we would be happy to provide a demonstration and you get to play the agent.  Guess what part we play!  I have personally known an agent who was so severely injured during a rock-throwing incident that he had to medically retire.  Remember, in the Middle East, they STILL kill people by stoning.  Rocks are dangerous and we will defend ourselves.

BPA's are NOT CBPO's.  Customs and Border Protection Officers are highly dedicated officers who work AT the ports of entry.  They do not like to be called Border Patrol Agents anymore than we like being called CBPO's or border guards.  BPA's work between the ports of entry to prevent and detect illegal entries into the United States.  We wear green uniforms (mostly) and they wear blue. The photo at the top of the page has been previously published.

We are mostly family people.  We have a job to do and we, for the most part, enjoy what we do.  We have feelings just like any other human being.  When a BPA is trying to save the life of a sunstroke victim, they don't think about the person's immigration status.  When that life slips away with the BPA still holding that person in their arms, the tears on the agent's face will be genuine.  We DO NOT HATE the people who invade our borders every day.  We are not Nazis or racists or any of the several other labels that people try to put on us for simply protecting our country's borders.  We are the proud men and women of the United States Border Patrol and we take great pride in serving our country.

These comments should not, in any way, be taken as official.  HonorFirst.com is an UNofficial web site with NO direct relation to the US Border Patrol. The thoughts expressed are my own and are likely shared by about 99 and 34/100ths percent of all BPAs.