Border Patrol Improvements

A response to The Times’ series of articles (April 22-24) on the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Border Patrol can be summarized simply: Several incidents over a decade highlighted by a team of reporters investigating for an entire year does not indicate, as you suggest, that the situations revealed are pervasive. Nor are they indicative of serious and deeply rooted problems within the organization. We strongly disagree with your underlying premise.

The Border Patrol faces many of the problems confronted by law enforcement agencies at all levels--growing numbers of violations, violators who may be better armed than the enforcement agents, and a growing watchfulness by some segments of the public for use of force by officers.

The Border Patrol apprehends in excess of 1 million people a year with fewer than 4,000 agents. The number of incidents are few compared to the number of arrests, but we have nonetheless acted positively in recent years.

* We have taken steps to ensure that training, discipline, and respect for the rights of others are deeply ingrained in all Border Patrol agents.

* Since 1991, the Border Patrol has totally revised its demanding 18-week academy curriculum, and opened an advanced training branch to provide specialized training for supervisory agents.

* In the past four years, the Border Patrol has done a complete overhaul of its training, which stresses civil rights, the proper use of authority, ethics and integrity, cultural awareness, and proficiency in the Spanish language.

* The erection of improved fencing and lights at points of heavy illegal border crossings has reduced the number of crossings and the violence. Also, the dangerous drive-throughs by aliens and drug smugglers, particularly juveniles, have been significantly reduced. Authorities on both sides of the U.S./ Mexico border give high marks for these improvements.

A year ago, INS began to rebuild the office responsible for looking into internal wrongdoing. This force had been removed in a legislative reorganization that created an inspector general’s office outside of INS.

The Border Patrol has also placed heavy emphasis on recruitment of women, African-Americans, and other minorities, although without realizing the results we would like to see. These efforts continue.

We recognize that no organization stands still, and we are doing what is needed to keep pace with new and changing demands on the Border Patrol.

CHRIS SALE

Acting Commissioner, INS

Washington