Border Patrol Stories
Weightless
We used to have vans where the only thing separating the agent (driver) from the aliens was a chainlink bulkhead. It made it very easy to see and hear what the aliens were doing during transport.
One day, I had a full load of 15 or so Mexican citizens that I was taking to the port-of-entry to be voluntarily returned (something that the modern Border Patrol no longer does) to their home country. The route driving from the station to the POE has a bridge over railroad tracks. And the bridge has an elliptical arch to it. The speed limit there is 30 MPH or so, I but I found that crossing the bridge traveling about 60 MPH would cause approximately 2 seconds of weightlessness!
So, approaching the bridge, I slowly increase speed to about 60 MPH. My passengers are completely unaware. As the van's suspension is compressed due to the slope of the bridge, I begin to scream! Suddenly, everyone in the van joins my screams as weightlessness take over all of us. In the rear view mirror, I can see a few of the passengers floating in the back.
Three seconds later and the ride is over. I was laughing so hard I nearly had to pull over to compose myself. The majority of the passengers, realizing there was never any real danger, also joined me in laughing.
One day, I had a full load of 15 or so Mexican citizens that I was taking to the port-of-entry to be voluntarily returned (something that the modern Border Patrol no longer does) to their home country. The route driving from the station to the POE has a bridge over railroad tracks. And the bridge has an elliptical arch to it. The speed limit there is 30 MPH or so, I but I found that crossing the bridge traveling about 60 MPH would cause approximately 2 seconds of weightlessness!
So, approaching the bridge, I slowly increase speed to about 60 MPH. My passengers are completely unaware. As the van's suspension is compressed due to the slope of the bridge, I begin to scream! Suddenly, everyone in the van joins my screams as weightlessness take over all of us. In the rear view mirror, I can see a few of the passengers floating in the back.
Three seconds later and the ride is over. I was laughing so hard I nearly had to pull over to compose myself. The majority of the passengers, realizing there was never any real danger, also joined me in laughing.
Weightless
DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this story are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of HonorFirst.com, the U.S. Border Patrol, or any government agency. These stories are presented for historical and cultural insight and have been submitted by current or former Border Patrol employees with minimal editing for clarity.
