About the book

This book is a tribute to some of the outstanding people I served with and witnessed in action over the last twenty-plus years. Also, it’s kind of an introduction to the Border Patrol for interested persons who want to read a little bit about what we do. I wrote it with the work of oral historians such as Mark Baker, John Stryker Meyer, and Gerald Astor in mind.

I interviewed over twenty agents, both active and retired, regarding their experiences at work on the southwest border. Unlike TV and movies, it’s not all beautiful people, car chases, and shootouts. A typical day in the Border Patrol, depending on the station, can involve several hours of driving over really bad roads, a long walk in the desert to clear a sensor or check a lay up, then walking back to the ride and driving back to the station. You can also have a day where you go to the checkpoint and stand in the heat all day, or drive to an “X” and sit there for 6-8 hours with the engine running. There is nothing in this book that wasn’t approved by the person who told the story; I wanted to write them just like they were told to me, lightly edited for clarity. This also goes for the added context; for instance, in a use of force, I might add the factors that go into justifying a given use of force, for the benefit of readers with no law enforcement training. Others who might have been at the same incident might remember it differently, a common feature of lived experiences.

Border Patrol Agents (PAs), while law enforcement, are not cops. Their authority to act is generally limited to offenses under immigration, customs, and drug laws. Of course there are exceptions. Some agents are designated as Peace Officers in the states where they operate, either due to the remoteness and lack of law enforcement in their areas, or as part of a multi-agency task force. All of the stories in this book feature working-class PAs, working typical BP operations. These are the ones who look at the dirt.

There are too many whose watch has ended far too soon. To those fallen agents, and the loved ones they left behind, we owe our eternal thanks.