Border Patrol recruits are taught how to use a gun and other weapons safely.
The United States Border Patrol is the police force of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for monitoring the country’s borders. Border Patrol New Recruit Training is an intense 19-week boot camp designed to educate new arrivals in all aspects of the job. The training consists of four important parts: learning the law, learning Spanish, firearms training and physical education. Successful completion of this course ensures that each agent is prepared for the daily demands of this challenging job.
Firearms training is part of border patrol training.
Understanding US border police law is the primary task of border patrol training. The preparation consists of a four-part course covering nationality law, immigration law, criminal law, and statutory authority. These classroom sessions help recruits understand how to identify if a person is an illegal immigrant, how to determine the legality of that person’s status, how to determine if the person is violating any state or federal law by crossing the border, and the history behind several other border patrol cases. This aspect of the training will give the agent the legal perspective necessary to comply with the law.
Soldiers can patrol the borders with ground vehicles and on foot.
A border patrol agent is stationed along one of the two natural borders of the United States, the Canadian border or the Mexican border. Most Canadians speak English, but Mexico’s national language is Spanish, so there is a potential communication barrier for agents working along the southern border. Border Patrol training tests a recruit’s Spanish skills, and if he fails a language course, he must attend Spanish classes. The purpose of these tests and classes is to ensure that all agents can communicate, because many people who are detained by border patrol agents speak Spanish as their first language.
Border Patrol agents are normally authorized to make arrests.
Firearms education is also an important part of Border Patrol training. Recruits are taught to use revolvers and other weapons safely and accurately. Most importantly, recruits are instructed to understand the proper time and situation to draw or use a firearm.
Finally, a border patrol agent must be in peak physical condition to monitor the land along the US border. Weight lifting and resistance training are closely monitored and introduced to all prospective agents. . Additionally, during border patrol training recruits are taught proper physical care, such as proper nutrition, and mental care, such as stress management.