Over 25 years of Border Patrol Adventures

---

One night we made so many errors, but luckily we survived to tell about them!  

It all started in Hondo, Texas after we picked up a car thief...then the action and errors really began!  

I published this in a more direct, sanitized form for the Border Patrol, but this is the original work...

As an agent assigned to the interior Border Patrol Station of Pasco, Washington, a huge amount of my time was dedicated to the Sunnyside Police Department. A never ending flow of aliens illegally in the United States passed through the doors of their jail. I put holds on hundreds of people that had been arrested for everything from violent felonies to traffic violations. It soon became a game; once an alien was arrested for some insignificant traffic violations such as No Valid Operator's License, they would hurriedly try to post bail and be released before I could interview them and place a much more significant Immigration hold.
 

The true story that follows was predicated by one of those significant holds. I have changed the names of the defendants but everything else is correct. Exhaustive notes about the case and, about my hesitations allowed me to recreate this incident.
 

*****

I arrived as a new Border Patrol Agent in Uvalde, Texas.  I was as naive as anyone.  One thing I hadn't been exposed to very much was Death.  That would soon change as would-be immigrants faced life and death challenges on a daily basis...and  often lost.  Law Enforcement wasn't too far behind and soon I was exposed to several friends and colleagues who died...This is just a few of the memories that make me what I am today.

On Detail in Nogales, Arizona. I'm pretty sure I added a bit of humor to a very serious daily endeavor.  

I accepted the position of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and entered on duty less than a year after graduation from WSU. The academy was a true challenge but I graduated and soon found myself in Uvalde, Texas as a BPA(T): the "T" standing for Trainee and I was truly as green as they come.

I arrived at the Uvalde Station in September of 1984. That fall and winter would be eventful for me but also very eye-opening. I would learn about the fragility of life as a law enforcement officer.

South Texas received more than a foot of snow my first winter there and of course it soon melted causing many of the streams to flood. In Sabinal, twenty miles to the east of my station and within my area of operation, a vehicle had become stranded in a swollen stream. The Chief of Police of Sabinal, James Wulf tried to rescue the elderly man and, although he successfully saved the man, he was washed down the stream and drowned.

One night Johnny Pfeifer and I were working in the Hondo area.  We were headed back to Uvalde when the action began...

The Washington State Patrol asked the Immigration Special Agents and the Border Patrol to assist in a DUI Task Force.  This led to a lot of illegal aliens getting arrested and an illegal cock fight being busted!

A man attempted entry at the Metaline Falls POE but was denied because he had a prior vehicle theft conviction...so he skirts the POE and finds a vehicle to steal!!!

They came to the United States in search of the American Dream.  Then he brutally  beat his wife with a 2x4.  Prison then released then he raped a 14 year old.  Prison, deported and returned to haunt his ex wife...

I'm a creative copywriter with a passion for storytelling. With over 5 years of experience in the industry, I've helped brands of all sizes achieve their content marketing goals. Let's work together to bring your brand to life with creative and persuasive copy.

I'm a creative copywriter with a passion for storytelling. With over 5 years of experience in the industry, I've helped brands of all sizes achieve their content marketing goals. Let's work together to bring your brand to life with creative and persuasive copy.

I'm a creative copywriter with a passion for storytelling. With over 5 years of experience in the industry, I've helped brands of all sizes achieve their content marketing goals. Let's work together to bring your brand to life with creative and persuasive copy.