Borstar History

The U.S. Border Patrol has launched specialized efforts to save the lives of agents, undocumented aliens, and the public since the mid-1980s. The Border Patrol's first rescue and response teams were developed during this time in the Yuma, Tucson, and El Paso Border Patrol Sectors. At that time, there was no formal academy for providing rescue training within the Border Patrol. Since then, the concept of the Border Patrol's rescue teams has been revised and expanded.

Major Events in BORSTAR History

• April 1998: In the San Diego Sector, a request for permission to develop a BORSTAR Team was submitted because of the number of agents injured in the San Diego Sector border area who required complicated extractions and medical treatment. At that time, the Border Patrol lacked the means to conduct rapid technical extractions and had to rely upon civilian rescue entities. These entities often had extended response times because of the remote areas that agents patrolled and the medical support was often not nearby.

   

• June 1998: The Border Patrol launches the BSI, a comprehensive and aggressive binational strategy designed to reduce injuries and prevent fatalities while making the border region safer for migrants, agents, and border residents.

   

• July 1998: The first members of the San Diego Sector BORSTAR Team are assembled, responding to rescues and initiate a training curriculum.

   

• October 1998: The first BORSTAR Academy, consisting of 29 participants from selected stations, is conducted in the San Diego Sector.

   

• November 1998: The Tucson Sector, noting the success of the San Diego BORSTAR Team, the growing number of rescue situations encountered in the Tucson area, and the lack of emergency resources in the remote desert, initiate the creation of a BORSTAR Team for their area.

   

• April 1999: The first members of the Tucson Sector BORSTAR Team are assembled, and the first BORSTAR Academy in Tucson is conducted, graduating 30 members.

   

• End of 2000: The San Diego and Tucson Sectors have conducted two Academies and are planning their third Academies.

   

• January 2001: While BORSTAR operations increase, other ideas to assist in search and rescue are explored. One of these ideas was the creation of the BORSTAR Canine Program. Two members of the San Diego Sector are certified by National Canine Facility as the first Border Patrol search and rescue canine handlers. Other sectors along the southwest border prepare to implement BORSTAR Canine Programs as well.

   

• May 2001: The first BORSTAR national workgroup is assembled in El Paso, Texas, with the assistance of the BSI. Representatives from each of nine southwest border sectors assemble to discuss a curriculum for a national BORSTAR program.

   

• June 2001: The Tucson Sector BORSTAR Team, in conjunction with KINO Hospital, initiates an intravenous (IV) therapy program. This program enables BORSTAR Basic Emergency Medical Technicians in the Tucson Sector's area of responsibility to administer IVs in a prehospital setting. This program is developed because of the vast number of severely dehydrated patients encountered in the remote desert areas.

   

• July 2001: The San Diego Sector hosts a third Academy for the El Centro, Tucson, Yuma, Marfa, and Del Rio Sectors with 27 members. The U.S. Attorney General attends the graduation ceremony, promotes the nationalization of BORSTAR, and congratulates graduates on their accomplishments.

   

• August 2001: The El Centro, Yuma, Marfa, and Del Rio Sectors all initiate BORSTAR Teams. The El Centro Sector's program has 17 BORSTAR agents; the Yuma Sector's program, 10 agents; and the Marfa and Del Rio Sectors' programs, 1 agent each.

   

• September 2001: The Tucson Sector hosts its third Academy, including agents from the Tucson and Yuma Sectors. The Tucson Sector graduates 11 BORSTAR agents, and the Yuma Sector graduates 3 agents.

   

• October 2001: The INS Central Region hosts an Academy in Artesia, New Mexico. BORSTAR instructors work with El Paso Search, Trauma, and Rescue Team and graduate 24 BORSTAR agents from various sectors.

  BORSTAR agents from the San Diego and El Centro Sectors are certified as interagency Swiftwater Rescue Instructors. Because of the number of deaths in the local canals, the El Centro Sector implements a swiftwater rescue program, including training and the use of BORSTAR Hovercraft. Currently efforts are being made to conduct swiftwater rescue training in all areas.

   

• June 2002: The Yuma Sector initiates an IV therapy program.

Other Sites:

BorderPatrolAcademy.com | BorderPatrolJob.com | BorderPatrolCheckpoint.com | Bortac.com

ExplorerProgram.com | IllegalImmigrationNews.com | CBP.gov | ICE.gov

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