By Tiffany Williams, IACP Technology Center Outreach Coordinator
he mission of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) (U.S.
Border Patrol) is to “…secure America’s borders; to protect the
American public against terrorism and the instruments of terror;
and to enforce the laws of the United States while fostering its
economic security through lawful international trade and
travel.”1 As a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, U.S. Border Patrol comprises approximately 20,000
agents that work at and around U.S. borders in an effort to keep
Americans safe. The U.S. Border Patrol patrols the United
States’ southern border from Texas to California, all of the
Floridian border continuing along the Louisiana (the gulf coast)
border and the Caribbean Ramey sector of Puerto Rico. To the
north, U.S. Border Patrol patrols the U.S. border from
Washington to Maine. The U.S. Border Patrol is responsible for
securing America’s borders beyond the specified ports of entry.
This encompasses different terr