What I Learned from US Border Patrol

I promised our hosts at US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that I would share their message and what I learned along the way.

First, my eyes have been opened wide to the reality of what's going on at our 1254-mile Texas/Mexico border and the challenges our CBP brothers and sisters face here. In one whirlwind day, I got a glimpse of the difficult terrain, saw several dozen Mexican nationals who had been caught crossing illegally across our border (just that morning), toured the processing center where they were being held, and talked to the bus guard just before 20 or so were being transported back to the border to be handed over back to Mexican authorities. What was particularly noteworthy in the processing center was the dozen or so who were NOT Mexican nationals who has crossed our border. They come from as far as Bangladesh. According to our CBP, those that cross in Texas are either acting on behalf of a drug cartel or have paid the cartel to let them pass through the land they control along our border. The cartels support these crossings because it increases their chances of getting drugs or their human "commodities" through (ie. human trafficking).

CBP needs and deserves our full support and admiration. Their job is really tough. The level of professionalism I witnessed in their bearing and devotion to duty would make the late R. Lee Ermey proud. What I was also struck by is how they see the people who break our laws by attempting to infiltrate - they see them as people, not objects and honor their humanity. They do this not only in how they arrest and return them, but also in the number of rescues they perform and life-saving medical aide they render when someone's illegal crossing did not go as planned.

They want and need walls. It has nothing to do with politics. Military professionals employ barriers to delay, deny, and channel enemies. As one Border Patrol (BP) leader stated simply, "they work." But a barrier also requires "eyes-on" and the ability to quickly maneuver to intercept. Many who cross escape because we simply don't have sufficient road networks along the border so they need roads, technology, people and other means to deter, access, and intercept those attempting to cross into the US. "The Wall" is not one thing, but many different types of solutions to protect our borders.

My experience brought forth some lessons in leadership too: First, give your people the mission and goals let their front-line expertise go to work. Provide the resources to help achieve the goals, but trust in your people who are closest to the work innovate the solution. W. Edwards Deming taught this over 50 years ago. Second, seek to understand first-hand. Get curious about the challenges and take any ego from the solution equation. Getting on the ground at the Rio Grande showed why "one long giant wall" isn't feasible, but neither is dismissing the use of a wall where it can be used. Third, I saw first hand that you can do hard stuff - like arresting and deporting while still treating people as people. Doing so maintains one's own sense of honor and dignity in the process.

Finally, I just wish to extend gratitude to those protecting our borders - from the food and commercial shipments inspectors I visited, to the K-9 trainers, to those on horseback patrolling areas unreachable by four-wheeled vehicles. I am in awe of what you do and the magnitude of your work that we are largely ignorant of and take for granted.