The West Berkshire Border Patrol Station is located on the Canadian border in northern Vermont where Vermont Route 108 intersects with Canadian Rout 237. The Department of Homeland Security’s Customs Border Protection (CBP) Division operates it.
This border station does not get a lot of traffic crossing, although that may change some with the closing of the Morses Line Border Patrol Station. It is an important route for the transport of goods, particularly those of exports to Canada.
The Role of the Border Patrol in West Berkshire
After 9/11, concerns about terrorist activity in the US increased greatly. Securing the borders became a topic of increased scrutiny. The northern border with Canada had been relatively easy to cross. Many U.S. citizens that live along this border have friends and family across the border and were accustomed to traveling freely to visit them. Now, such travel is restricted to those who can prove they are U.S. citizens.
The jobs of the Border Patrol agents in West Berkshire involve monitoring the traffic of vehicles and pedestrians across the border in this town. Starting in 2008, both U.S. and Canadian citizens must prevent proof of citizenship, along with a photo ID to be able to cross the border. This requires a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or a passport. It is the job of the Border Patrol agents to determine who has this type of identification and can be permitted to cross the border.
Another role of Border Patrol agents is to help patrol regions of the border that are located within the Swanson sector that encompasses West Berkshire. While no terrorists have been detected trying to cross the Northern border, there are vigorous and ongoing efforts to prevent potential terrorists from crossing into the country.
Drug smuggling into the U.S. from Canada is an on-going problem, and Border Control agents work vigorously to prevent these efforts. The transport of illegal immigrants into the country has also been a problem in this area. The U.S. Border Patrol keeps U.S. citizens safer by intercepting such illegal cross border traffic. An additional benefit of having highly trained Border Patrol agents in West Berkshire is that they help local law enforcement when emergencies arise.