Stunning trip brings summer to close

by Caroline Basile, editor-in-chief

It seemed summer went way too fast for everyone,. But with it’s close, I definitely felt ready to go back to college and I got the itch to start writing. I just didn’t know my first assignment would be as big as it was.
As the fall semester started creeping up on me, my adviser, Charlie Ehrenfeld, told me about a possible story idea. We were to travel to the small town of Marfa  and get to observe the United States Border Patrol hard at work.  Charlie, our photography editor Britni Palomino, and I left on Aug. 21 for our excursion with the agents.
The only thing I knew about the Border Patrol was the basics of what they do, and what I saw was so much more. Being embedded with the Border Patrol for those two days was thrilling. I saw what they do every day, and how they operate. The minute we arrived, we had the opportunity to see a group of illegal aliens go through processing after they were detained, even listening in on one being interviewed.
Every agent there has a connection with his fellow agents. It’s a very friendly, family atmosphere. They take care of each other while taking care of our nation's border.  Every agent I talked to said that it's more than just a job. Each agent takes his work very seriously but also manages to have a great time with it.
I think the word I said aloud the most while on this trip was “wow.”  I was stunned by what I had seen. It was a great, vast area of the country I had never seen or even knew anything about. The mountains seemed like a big enough challenge for an illegal immigrant to try and cross over. Then there’s the weather to contend with.
Before going on the trip, I'll admit, I did feel nervous. But I quickly got over that after we arrived since we were with Border Patrol agents the entire time. I felt pangs of nervousness occasionally, especially when we were briefed on safety and “what happens if.”
As we drove with Dan Harris, assistant chief patrol agent for the Marfa Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, on our first night out, we didn’t even make it five miles outside of Marfa when Harris spotted a suspicious individual parked on the side of the road with his emergency lights flashing. We sat and watched as Harris asked the man questions. After the truck was searched, the man was arrested about an hour or so later. After this we continued on to see the nightvision and infra-red technology utilized by the U.S. Border Patrol.
This was possibly the most educational and thrilling thing I have had the opportunity to do with the Plainsman Press. To see what these agents do every day to help protect our nation is very cool and should be appreciated.
It was a very unique opportunity to see the way they do things, and I appreciate the chance to see it and witness it firsthand. The work they do at the border is amazing, everything from the infra-red and night-vision technology they use to even following footprints.  Every little bit helps with national security.