Thomas R. Johnson, Regional Chief of US Border Patrol

The mission of the US Border Patrol is to detect and prevent the unlawful entry of aliens, narcotics and terrorists.

Chief Johnson told the Club about the rigorous standards to which the Border Patrol agents are held, and the extensive training they receive in language and the law.

The majority of the Border Patrol agents are stationed in the Southwest, however more agents are now being added to our northern border. Agents are well-trained in hand-to-hand combat, pistol use, Spanish (and French) and the law.

The high standards to which the agents are held leads to a 50% termination rate. Qualified people are needed for activities ranging from watching "the line"; the patrol of cities, farms and ranches near to the border; the patrol of major transportation corridors; and finally, plain old foot patrols, looking for footprints that lead to people who have entered the country illegally.

Chief Johnson told the Club that the majority of people detained are poor people looking for a better life, and that these people are generally respectful of authority. Human smugglers, on the other hand, are quite the opposite.