US-Mex ‘mirror’ patrols

EL PASO, TEXAS — “Borderline Hero” was a 1950s-era comic book featuring Donald Duck dressed in Border Patrol fatigues, clutching a rifle and scanning the horizon. Today, real-life law enforcers can be found on both sides of the southern border, as Mexican authorities play a greater role in helping the US crack down on human smuggling and drug trafficking.

In the last year, Mexican police and National Guard have been increasing their work in conjunction with US Border Patrol agents, with both countries performing “mirrored patrols” on either side of the border fence.

The special patrols have resulted in 2,109 apprehensions in fiscal year 2021, with Mexican authorities responsible for 1,965 and Border Patrol agents 144. In addition, 1,775 people were deterred from entering the US, according to Border Patrol data.

“When the rubber meets the road, it’s the agents out here patrolling who are making a big difference,” said Richard Barragan, a Border Patrol agent connected to the El Paso Sector, where 155,892 migrants were detained in FY 2021, almost triple the 54,396 the previous year.

Last month, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador traveled to Ciudad Juarez on the border with El Paso to inaugurate a new barracks for the Mexican National Guard, pledging more aid to “secure” the border.

In July, the US and Mexico announced 10 new criminal targets for their Se Busca Informacion (Looking for Information) program, which began in 2019. The initiative puts photos of the faces of the most wanted suspects in both the US and Mexico on a poster, with wide distribution in both countries.