EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — The United States Border Patrol was established in 1924.

While its primary mission is to detect and prevent the illegal entry of undocumented immigrants into the United States, Border Patrol agents also prevent terrorists and terrorists’ weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, from entering the United States, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost, left, testifies during a Senate Judiciary Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee hearing about the border, Wednesday May 8, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. At right is Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations Executive Assistant Commissioner Todd Owen. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Border Patrol is specifically responsible for patrolling nearly 6,000 miles of international land borders with Mexico and Canada, and more than 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida Peninsula and the island of Puerto Rico. Agents also work in many isolated communities throughout the United States.

The Border Patrol started with a handful of “mounted guards,” who operated out of El Paso, Texas, patrolling desolate areas along U.S. borders. Today, the Border Patrol has more than 21,000 agents.

All Border Patrol agents spend 26 weeks in training at the Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico, which is a component of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

The current chief of the Border Patrol is Carla Provost.

Uniforms

  • The Border Patrol’s summer dress uniform consists of a short-sleeve, olive-green dress shirt (which may or may not have blue shoulder straps), brass nameplate, badge, olive-green slacks with a blue stripe running the length of the seam, and black dress shoes or dress boots. A green, straw campaign hat is worn with this uniform.
  • The Border Patrol winter dress uniform consists of a long-sleeve, olive green dress shirt, navy-blue clip-on tie with a brass tie tack, olive-green Eisenhower jacket with blue accents (shoulder straps and cuffs), brass nameplate, badge, olive-green slacks with a blue stripe running the length of the seam, and black dress shoes or dress boots. a green, felt campaign hat with a black, leather hat band is worn with this uniform.
  • The rough duty uniform consists of a green, long-sleeve or short-sleeve work shirt, green cargo pants, and black work boots. A green baseball cap is typically worn with this uniform.
  • There are also specialized rough duty uniforms for marine patrol (riverine), northern border cold weather, horse patrol and bike patrol agents.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Yuma Sector, Anthony Porvaznik talks about a new 500-person tent facility during a media tour Friday, June 28, 2019, in Yuma, Ariz. The facility will be used to process detained immigrant children and families who cross the U.S. border. The Border Patrol says it will start placing families there on Friday night. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)