This makes the Sector area along the border a major staging area for narcotic and alien smuggling operations. The U.S. Border Patrol has had a significant presence and a long history in Del Rio. The Border Patrol Agents of the Del Rio Sector provide professional law enforcement that not only affects the quality of life of the residents along the border but the entire nation. The U.S. Border Patrol is a multi-task law enforcement entity that has served the Southwest border and Del Rio since July 1, 1924. The primary function of the Border Patrol is to enforce immigration law and prevent illegal entry of aliens into the United States.
Agents also play a major role in the war on drugs.
The Sector is an integral part of the INS Southwest Border Strategy Initiative designed to shut down the traditional corridors that illegal entrants use along the nation's Southwest border. As part of the initiative, Operation Rio Grande is gaining strength as it moves upriver from its starting point in Brownsville, Texas. The Rio Grande River constitutes the entire southern boundary of the Del Rio Sector. The river can be forded by individuals in many places, but not by vehicles. The river area is varied with rough, rolling terrain covered with mesquite, sagebrush, or cane growing 8-12 feet high.