Border Patrol agents stationed in the Laredo Sector and mounted on horseback had a very busy 12-hour period recently.
The Laredo Sector Border Patrol's Horse Patrol Unit (HPU) apprehended 60 individuals near Hebbronville, Texas. HPU agents apprehended 17 individuals with the assistance of an unmanned aerial system. In a separate incident, HPU helped apprehend eight individuals who were detected on board a freight train, preventing the subjects from traveling further into the country.
Responding to reports of individuals walking through different ranches along a river, HPU assisted agents on All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) in apprehending 57 individuals identified as being illegally present in the United States. Agents also apprehended a U.S. citizen brush guide who was subsequently turned over to the Laredo Police Department.
HPU also assisted agents in the Laredo West and Cotulla Stations, helping apprehend eight individuals illegally present in the United States.
The HPU was reestablished in the Laredo Sector in Nov. 2009, the first time mounted agents were utilized in the Sector since 1991. HPU consists of 29 adopted Mustang horses procured through the Bureau of Land Management's Wild Horse and Burro Program. The mustangs were trained by members of the Colorado Correctional Industries’ Wild Horse Inmate Program.
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"The outstanding work by our Horse Patrol Unit illustrates why their mounted operations continue to be an important tool in our border security operations," said Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew Hudak. "Even with today’s technology, a Border Patrol agent on a horse remains an effective way to patrol remote areas of our border."
The U.S. Border Patrol encourages Americans to take a stand against criminal organizations by reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. To report suspicious activity such as alien and/or drug smuggling, download the "USBP Laredo Sector" App or contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll-free at 1-800-343-1994.
