The Border Patrol has plenty of tools at its disposal to fight the illegal activity stemming from the U.S.-Mexico border, all incorporating the most up-to-date technology. Agents patrol in dune buggies, trucks, ATVs, airplanes, helicopters, by foot, and horseback. Careers as drone pilots are now also available. Sanderson Station’s area of responsibility includes approximately 3,000 miles, 91 of which are along the border.
Recently in December, Sanderson Border Patrol Agents were notified of a suspicious vehicle dropping off people along the side of a road. When agents arrived they arrested the driver after finding 238 pounds of marijuana worth a street value of about $190,000.
The Sanderson border station opened in 1924 and has been in operation as a Border Patrol station since then. Located in the town of Sanderson, Texas (population 837 in the 2010 census), the nearest town is an hour’s drive away, making Border Patrol jobs in Sanderson located in a remote part of the state. It is because of this remoteness that this particular station is necessary: because of the high level of drug, weapons, and people smuggling stemming from the border, Sanderson’s location of less than thirty miles from this boundary makes it a perfect place for a station.
Careers in Sanderson as a Border Patrol Agent
Border Patrol Agents are the ones out in the field conduction patrols, tracking suspects, and assisting other law enforcement agencies. As part of becoming a Border Patrol Agent, the prospective candidate must be willing to:
- Participate in an extensive background check
- Work alone or in teams
- Know or be willing to learn the Spanish language
- Maintain, carry, and use a firearm
- Operate a wide variety of motor vehicles
- Fly as an observer/passenger in different types of aircraft
Featured Career in Sanderson: Mounted Agent
Border Patrol jobs in Sanderson also include Mounted Border Patrol Agents. These are Border Agents who use horses while conducting their patrols. Once skills and abilities have been proven as a Border Agent, the prospective mountee can volunteer for consideration. Working on horseback offers the Border Patrol Agent several advantages:
- Horses are not as loud as motor vehicles, and can therefore surprise suspects
- Mounted Agents are able to move with quickness and endurance over rough types of terrain
- Horses have a better sense of smell and hearing, and can therefore alert to someone’s presence
- Agents in general are happier when working with horses, an old tradition in the Border Patrol