Hi-Line Living - Watching the border in northern Montana

The presence of the U.S. Border Patrol in north-central Montana has changed since the Spokane District established a sub-office in Havre July 31, 1924, and since it became the Havre Sector Headquarters in 1933, but its role is the same - protecting the U.S. border.

The presence of the U.S. Border Patrol has increased significantly in north-central Montana in the last 20 years.

The Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002, integrating part or all of 22 different agencies including the Treasury Department's U.S. Customs Service and the Justice Department's Immigration and Naturalization Service - including the Border Patrol, which was first created in 1924.

Later last decade, the department worked to strengthen its presence on the northern border, building new, state-of-the-art patrol stations, increasing the use of technology and increasing the number of agents on the border.

But while who and what is here has changed, the duties are the same.

The prevention of illegal immigration, narcotics and weapons smuggling and preventing terrorist attacks remain top priorities for the Border Patrol on the northern border though these problems are not at the levels seen at the southern border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Patrol Agent in Charge Perla McGoffin said.

"There could be illegal activity anywhere, it could happen here in Havre, so that is why we are out here to patrol our nation's borders," McGoffin said. "This is our contribution toward Customs and Border Protection's mission of maintaining and keeping our borders safe."

The majority of illegal drugs are trafficked on the southern border, but agents on the northern border have seized illegal drugs trafficked across the northern border, as well, McGoffin said. But that is not all the agents do.

"One thing that the border patrol agents are doing is we're enforcing immigration laws," McGoffin said. "... We do not have an open border. Everyone needs to have the appropriate documents to be here in the United States, whether it be for visiting or permanent resident or here on a visa."

When a person is allowed to enter the United States through a visa, she said, it has an expiration date and the person needs to leave the country. Sometimes agents may encounter subjects who have not departed the country after they are admitted in to the country legally.

Agents patrol the northern border 24-7, using a variety of vehicles or even on foot when the terrain makes it unsafe for vehicle passage, she said. She added that agents also use a variety of methods and technology to patrol the border, such as sensors.

"The Border Patrol does not specifically use unmanned aerial systems, however, the Department of Homeland Security uses unmanned aerial systems to monitor the northern and southern borders of the United States," she said.

McGoffin said that one thing the Havre Station does routinely is to perform a transportation check at the Havre Amtrak station. These transportation checks yield the majority of the apprehensions made here by Border Patrol.

Border Patrol does not regularly check the Havre-Hill County Airport unless they are requested to, she said. In the past, Border Patrol has gotten reports of suspicious activity and had to bring the K-9 unit to inspect a plane.

McGoffin said that the average day at the Havre Station is that in the morning, the agents receive their duty assignments for the area and perform cuts - when agents observing an area search for signs indicating someone has crossed the border. Agents also speak to community members and local residents to gather additional information about activity in the border area.

Havre Station has a Border Resident Area Information Network Program where willing community members report to Border Patrol, "providing additional eyes and ears for us," she said.

"That's a way that the community can work with us," she added.

It helps obtain operational control of the border, McGoffin said.

"Our agents are assigned to report the situational awareness of our area, and that is key," she said. "Our agents are out patrolling the area, utilizing various tools."

"One thing our agents are assigned to do is report the situational awareness of our area, and that is key," she said. "What are agents are out doing is patrolling the area, utilizing whatever tools that they can."

Havre Sector, which covers the majority of the Montana-Canada border, has a large area, she said, a large wide-open area stretching along about 456 miles of the border. Havre Station covers about 118 international border miles.

The Immigration and Nationality Act 287(a)(3) and 8 USC 1357 states Immigration Officers, without a warrant, may "within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States ... board and search for aliens in any vessel within the territorial waters of the United States and any railcar, aircraft, conveyance, or vehicle."

8 CFR 287 (a)(1) defines reasonable distance as 100 air miles from the border.

"Although most Border Patrol work is conducted in the immediate border area, agents have broad law enforcement authorities, including the authority to question individuals, make arrests, and take and consider evidence," she said.  

She said Border Patrol has to respond to all traffic passing across the border, even if it is only a deer or antelope, because everything could possibly be illegal activity.

"We respond to everything that we can possibly get to," she said.

Working in the Havre Sector

McGoffin said no agent is allowed to pass the border while on duty, but Border Patrol has a good relationship with its Canadian law enforcement partners. If something were to cross the border, the proper authorities could pursue the issue.

The area where the Border Patrol actively patrols is both federal and private property, she said.

According to USC 1357 (a)(3), in the course of the patrol function, Border Patrol has access to private lands, without a warrant, within 25 miles of the border.

"Our agents visit with local landowners, when the opportunity presents itself, to inquire if the landowner has seen any suspicious activity," she added.

She said that the Havre Station has a number of partnerships with local law enforcement, such as Hill and Blaine county sheriff's offices. It is a force multiplier, she said, which allows agencies to assist one another when needed. She added that through the Border Patrol, Hill and Blaine counties receive funding from Operation Stone Garden grants.

Stone Garden grants fund local law enforcements assisting Border Patrol and allows deputies to work overtime when needed.

The Havre Sector includes six stations, the St. Mary, Sweetgrass, Malta, Scobey and the Plentywood stations along with the Havre station.

The Havre Station is located near Havre Middle School on 16th Avenue West, while the Sector Headquarters is located on land donated by the city of Havre in 1965, just south of town.

The Havre Station's area of responsibility has three ports of entry.

McGoffin said the Havre Station does work with other stations when needed such as working side-by-side with the Malta Station in the Turner Port of Entry area and with transportation checks. The stations share information and communicate with each other.

Coming to the Havre Sector

McGoffin said that she has served in the Border Patrol for 18 years and finds the job very rewarding. She added that the retirement benefits is what initially attracted her to the job.

She started when she was 35 years old, she said. Before becoming an agent, Perla McGoffin was a state access medical assistance eligibility interviewer, working for the state of Arizona's Medicaid program. She added that she was working as a bilingual interviewer for people.

She said that while her husband, who is also an agent, was going through the academy, one of his classmates was a woman. It was interesting to her because she always thought of the border patrol as a male-dominated job. Since becoming an agent, she said, she has gone to various recruiting events where she found that the Border Patrol has a number of female agents all across the country.

McGoffin said she is not the only female Border Patrol agent at the Havre Station and, in 2009, when the Havre station moved to its current location, the sector chief patrol agent was Brenna Neinast. The current chief of the Border Patrol is Carla Provost.

McGoffin said that she likes the job because before becoming an agent she never had a job where she worked outdoors.

She said when she was still in Arizona, while on patrol she saw a group of people who were entering the country illegally. They were walking around a river when she noticed a child's shoes where flashing. She said she spotted them right away. River banks are covered with leaves and branches and she could hear them coming long before she saw them.

Another experience she had while on the southern border was when a helicopter encountered a group of 60 people crossing the border illegally, she said. She was the closest agent and responded. They all scattered, except for 20 people who she detained until she received backup, she said.

"You always have to be alert as best as you possibly can because anything can catch you off guard when you're doing that type of work," she said.

The Border Patrol has different opportunities for advancement, she said. Agents consider family needs in deciding whether to relocate to to an area where an advancement opportunity exists. Some agents decide to stay at their first duty station based on the best interest of the family.

"The most challenging part you always have to remember is the training you received at the academy and you need to be able to make it home safe, and that's everybody's primary goal," she said.

Joining the patrol

People who apply to become Border Patrol agents are a mix of people with and without law enforcement backgrounds, McGoffin said

She said the academy is in New Mexico and takes 20 weeks to complete the basic training with the attrition rate about 20 to 25 percent. If people fail the academy, they are able to re-apply through a program called Project Second Chance, in which the candidate is evaluated by the instructors and recommendations are made to the chief patrol agent of the academy, who ultimately makes the decision about whether the candidate is able to repeat the academy.

After the academy, agents are not required to do any additional physical requirements, although to pass the academy candidates have to achieve passing scores on a mile-and-a-half run, a 220 yard dash and a confidence course course.  

She said, for her, the academy was very challenging because of its paramilitary structure.

"It was interesting," she added.

McGoffin said that every agent has to spend time on the southern border. The amount of time varies. She added that most agents who come to northern border have more than three years experience on the southern border.

More than patrolling the border

The Border Patrol agents do more in the area than patrol the border with actions like assisting other law enforcement agencies, hosting active shooter trainings and just being involved in community events and organizations outside of their Customs and Border Protection duties.

The patrol officially works with the community, as well. McGoffin said the Havre Station holds tours for Havre Public Schools and is actively involved in the Leadership High School program. She added that the Border Patrol also has an honor guard and participates in the parade every year.

Border Patrol Havre Station also serves as a resource to other agencies who can reserve rooms in the station for meetings and training.