United States Border Patrol ( US Border Patrol ) The primary mission of the Border Patrol is to prevent illegal immigrants, drugs, or terrorists and their weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, from entering the United States. The US Border Patrol is a branch of the larger and more complex components of the United States Department of Homeland Security, with the primary mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the US. It also has a responsibility for the security and facilitation of trade and travel.
The Border Patrol's primary mission is to protect the United States by reducing the likelihood and capabilities of entry into the United States between ports of entry. This is achieved by maintaining surveillance, following leads, responding to electronic sensor alerts and aircraft sightings, and interpreting and following footprints. Some of the main activities include maintaining vehicle traffic checkpoints on roads leading from the border areas, conducting city patrols and transportation verification, and conducting anti-smuggling investigations. Often, the border is a barely perceptible line in uninhabited deserts, canyons, or mountains.
The Border Patrol uses a variety of equipment and methods to accomplish its mission in the diverse terrain. Electronic sensors are placed in strategic locations along the border to detect people or vehicles entering the country illegally. Video monitors and night vision scopes are also used to detect illegal entries.
- Agents patrol the border in vehicles, boats, and on the move.
- In some areas, the Border Patrol even has horses, dirt bikes, bicycles, and snowmobiles.
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