Mounted Agents
Bold Border Enforcement
By Daniel Muniz

I have always been skeptical about whether or not this country was really going to get serious about securing our porous border with Mexico. This nation has been burned before with so many empty promises from politicians as well as by sleight of hand cosmetic changes by governmental agencies that produced virtually no results. And year after year, the political rhetoric sounded great but what about putting some real action to go along with the talk?

Granted, the federal government has exerted substantial effort in certain aspects of illegal immigration enforcement.

For example, it has long been noted by experts that most illegal crossings occur at very specific points of the border. The idea was to plug up these holes with fences and then add more surveillance and more patrols. The smugglers of illegal aliens would either be discouraged from trying to cross the border or they will have to try their luck at more desolate and dangerous junctions, which may be too rigorous to complete.

While I applauded that effort, I still wasn’t convinced that this new emphasis was going to work.

It might look like that the government is doing something constructive but the harsh reality is that the demand from the tens of thousands of businesses that hire illegal immigrants is just too great. People are going to keep crossing the border because there is a perception that the rewards still outweigh the risks. Yes, the risk may have become increasingly challenging and even more treacherous but for most; it is still worth the gamble.

And after the easiest entry points started to get plugged up, it didn’t take very long for the smugglers of illegal aliens to simply find different routes to cross our border. To no surprise, they began using remotes paths across unforgiving terrain that is inaccessible and inhospitable to federal agents. There are just too many rocky and mountainous places out in the middle of nowhere where you cannot drive an SUV through.

So what is the government going to do about it?

Well, I have to admit that the response caught me off guard.

The Border Patrol began fielding quarter horses to their agents. Here is a brief description about this animal:

Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horse in races of a quarter mile or less, where individuals have been clocked at 55 mph.

Source: Wikipedia

This is a very fast and rugged beast that has already worked quite well for generations in ranches and it is aptly suited for harsh terrain. And these horses are also well known for their stamina and strength as well as for their ability to handle thick brush and the rocky regions of the Southwest.

Now with sturdy horses, federal agents have donned leather chaps in a bold effort to track down illegal aliens in the places where no vehicular traffic can trudge through. On horseback, the agents resemble the fabled lawmen of the Old West although they also have state of the art equipment at their disposal.

But what really surprised me was this dogged determination and a new vigor to solve problems.

Politicians love half-hearted approaches to problems because they almost always fail while still looking like an effort was made. And in this way, politicians can look good to their constituents even though nothing was ever accomplished and they can even claim that at least some progress was made.

So my cynicism was quite understandable.

However, the leadership of the Border Patrol really thought outside of the box.

When the tactics of the smugglers changed, this agency adapted and tried different ideas. And even though a horse may seem like an outdated and outmoded answer in our modern age, it is the perfect solution for apprehending illegal immigrants who are sneaking across our border in inaccessible terrain.

High tech equipment such as electronic sensors, ground-based radar, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are vital components needed in securing our border but mounted agents can reach into places where our technology cannot. And that is what makes the horses so versatile.

Although this country still has a long way to go in controlling illegal immigration, it is refreshing to see that creative and imaginative ideas are being seriously considered. But what is more satisfying is the resolve that federal agencies have in actually trying to solve a very big problem. Perhaps the border can finally be secured now that good ideas are being examined and explored.

I don’t want to get my hopes up but I do like this new direction.

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