Hi-Line Living: Border Patrol

Driving hundreds of miles each day is the life of the Border Patrol. Once affiliated with the port of entry, which we all know when traveling to and from Canada or crossing over into Mexico from the southern states, the Border Patrol is now its own division under Homeland Security, and their focus is to protect the citizens of the Unites States by stopping illegal entry and the smuggling of contraband.

The northern border runs from Washington through Maine with eight sectors. The Havre sector begins in western Montana at Centennial Divide and ends at North Dakota. This sector is 456 miles of some the most-barren and secluded land. Divided into 12 sections, it is manned by 1,200 border officers, each assigned a section of the border.

Seeing who and what the Border Patrol is about by riding along while they were on patrol gave the true feeling of their occupation.

Meeting with Border Patrol Division Chief Michael Stewart in the early morning, we began with getting fuel and water. Thinking it would be an easy ride-along soon changed.

We drove over the Seventh Street viaduct heading north toward the Medicine Hat border crossing. Talking on our way to the border, Stewart explained who made up the Border Patrol.

Most agents have a law enforcement or military background and first served on the southern Border. They are people who may live next-door who have coached sports or helped with many of the organizations in the community. Stewart had served for six years in Laredo, Texas, before coming to Havre and has lived here for more than 15 years. Stewart once coached sports teams while his sons grew up in Havre. He saw the changes happen after 9/11, the increase in officers.

After driving for what seemed like a few hours we were close to the port of entry. As we approached, Stewart said that we would get to the border this way and he turned left onto a gravel road.

After passing a few farms we were soon on a farm road, which was little more than a well-used trail, traveling away from the port of entry. We made our way north and the road got rough and bumpy, turning into more of a trail made for four-wheel drive vehicles like the one we were in. As we neared the border going north then west then north again, we passed the upper Milk River Basin to the south.

Crossing fields, I wondered where exactly we were going. This was not the border I was thinking of. At the top of a hill, we were there, at the northern border.

Few people have the chance to be in a place that is so far away from civilization - where hunters come to find the wild game and where the farmer may be planting crops in a far field.

This was not what my idea of what the border would be like.

A fence stretched straight and true from the west to the east. Crossing it in either direction would be a federal offense. There was no road for the Border Patrol to travel on, just a trail.

As I looked to the east there was a large, deep ravine that the sport utility vehicle we were in would have a hard time getting across and possibly would not make it at all. Stewart explained to me that to go that way, following the border fence, it would take around five hours to reach the port of entry 10 miles away, and that using an all terrain vehicle or even riding horseback would be a better way.

The Border Patrol uses different tools and resources to secure the border. Looking for unforgiving telltale signs in the grass, Officer Stewart stopped on the side of the trail and said, "look, see how by just driving over the grass once it is laid over. This is what we look for - something that should not be there. In late summer after the grass is dry it stands out even more, and it can also be seen from the air."

Meeting the residents that live on or close to the border is an invaluable resource. Long-lasting friendships are made with the residents.

"They live out here and see things," Stewart said. "Once we had a woman call us and tell us about a car coming across the border while she was talking to us. She was able tell us the make and color and what direction it went as it drove by her home."

The relationship with the Royal Mounted Police and the cooperation between the two agencies has also proven to be a big asset.

Driving back the way we came and after reaching the main road going south, Stewart headed east on a gravel road. This was his patrol section before becoming division chief. North of Chinook, crossing a creek and climbing up to the top of a ravine, we were at the border again, but it was different. Stewart pointed to the border fence. Unlike the first border fence that was a single fence, here there were two fences. In the middle was the actual border, marked by a cement pylon with a survey medallion in the middle. From that point it was 60 feet to each fence. Stewart said that the difference was made when the property was bought and the property had backed up right to the border.

Though it seems to be a very quiet border, problems do arise. Contraband comes across, people cross to the United States or into Canada and the occasional hunter gets lost. The Border Patrol faces danger every day patrolling in secluded areas where it may take hours for someone to reach them. Weather, vehicle problems and running into illegal activity can be problems.

Stewart said he believes complacency can become one of the biggest dangers - not seeing any action for a long period of time and getting into a rhythm then, when a problem arises, not being able to react.

Training helps keep officers in top condition mentally and physically. Part of their training includes using a 3-D training area with a 300 degree view. Entering the platform, five large video screens project real life scenarios. Given a pistol that is true to weight and size of a service weapon, officers have to react to the crime that is being portrayed.

We traveled 50 miles in five hours looking for any sign that may be attributed to a criminal act. This was just one small area of the border.

"We are border-focused, that is our number one priorty. It is still very important for the agents to learn in between Highway 2 and the border to drive around and learn all these backroads, so if something happens on the border, and if we are chasing it, and if we turn down this road where's it going to go, where does this road come out," Stewart said.. "The agents needs to know the area."

The Border Patrol is part of our community, securing our borders; they are the boots on the ground for Homeland Security.