U.S. Border Patrol Archives

Francisco Olachea, who's known as Pancho or Panchito in the community, uses an old ambulance as his mobile health-care station, transporting medical supplies to refugee shelters where families are waiting with their asylum numbers.

Social Justice

‘Come and See Me—My Grave Is Open’: Finding Life After Deportation in Nogales, Sonora

Panchito Olachea crossed the border into the U.S. at 16, and was deported at 48. He's now building a community of deportees who, like him, won't try to cross back.

Amelia Urry

Asylum seekers stand at the Greyhound bus station in downtown El Paso, Texas, late on December 23rd, 2018.

Why Is Border Patrol Stopping Greyhound Buses in Pennsylvania?

Customs and Border Protection searches of buses have increased—even far from the border.

Jack Herrera

Mark Morgan testifies at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing during his tenure as chief of Border Patrol in November of 2016.

What We Know About Trump’s Pick to Lead ICE

Mark Morgan is a former Obama administration official who has become a vocal Trump supporter.

Sophie Murguia

Detained migrants wait to be transported by U.S. Border Patrol at the border of the United States and Mexico on March 31st, 2019, in El Paso, Texas.

Why Is Border Patrol Planning to DNA Test Asylum Seekers?

The Department of Homeland Security will use the tests to identify what it calls fraudulent families. But advocates say the plan raises privacy concerns.

Jack Herrera

A U.S. Border Patrol agent talks with detained migrants at the border of the United States and Mexico on March 31st, 2019, in El Paso, Texas.

News in Brief

Trump Wants to Train Border Patrol to Conduct Asylum Interviews

The new plan could mean more asylum claims will be denied, according to advocates.

Jack Herrera

San Miguel gate on the United States–Mexico Border.

Social Justice

A Closed Border Gate Has Cut Off Three Tohono O’odham Villages From Their Closest Food Supply

An effort to deliver food is only a temporary solution.

Tay Wiles

A U.S. Border Patrol agent searches for tracks after a night of surveillance using night-vision equipment as agents carry out special operations near the U.S.-Mexico border fence.

News in Brief

The Government Shutdown Puts American Borders Under Increased Stress

Border agents are working overtime without pay and TSA agents are refusing to work without receiving a paycheck.

Julián Aguilar

A section of the U.S.–Mexico border at the Tijuana River fence is seen from Tijuana, in Baja California state, Mexico, on January 8th, 2019.

News in Brief

Trump’s Border Wall: An Essential Reading List

Following the president's primetime address, we collected Pacific Standard's most pertinent stories on immigration, border security, and the wall proposal.

Kelley Czajka

Central American migrants (mostly Hondurans) run along the Tijuana River near the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, near the U.S.–Mexico border, after the U.S. border patrol threw tear gas to disperse them after an alleged verbal dispute, on November 25th, 2018.

News in Brief

Tear Gas on the Border Is Only the Beginning of a Standoff That Could Last Months

Legal experts and migrants' rights advocates warn that the crisis will persist as migrants continue to arrive in Tijuana and other border towns.

Jack Herrera

A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands near the border fence between the United States and Mexico in Nogales, Arizona.

Social Justice

A Federal Court Rules That U.S. Constitutional Protections Apply to a Mexican Teen Shot by Border Patrol

In a potentially landmark decision, a circuit court judge ruled that the Fourth Amendment should protect Elena Rodriguez, who was a Mexican national killed on Mexican soil.

Jack Herrera