As mandated by this Act, the small border guard in the then Bureau of Immigration was reorganized into the Border Patrol. The initial force of 450 officers was given the responsibility of combating illegal entries and the growing business of alien smuggling. Together with other INS officers, the Border Patrol helps maintain borders that work facilitating the flow of legal immigration and goods while preventing the illegal trafficking of people and contraband. The Border Patrol is specifically responsible for patrolling the 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian international land borders and 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida Peninsula and the island of Puerto Rico.
Agents work around the clock on assignments, in all types of terrain and weather conditions.
Agents also work in many isolated communities throughout the United States. Border Patrol Staffing Since 1924, the Border Patrol has grown from a handful of mounted agents patrolling desolate areas along U.S. borders to today s dynamic work force of more than 8,000 men and women supported by sophisticated technology, vehicles, aircraft and other equipment. Another 2,000 will be recruited in the coming months. To ensure that the increased staffing and new resources provided by Congress were deployed in the most effective and efficient manner possible, INS acted in early 1994 to develop and implement the agency s first National Border Patrol Strategy . Read more about Careers with the Border Patrol .