Border Patrol, Search, Trauma And Rescue
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The Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit (BORSTAR) is one of two police tactical units in the Special Operations Group, under the
United States Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is responsible for secu ...
(USBP). The unit is trained in emergency search and rescue,
medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters and ...
(medevac), and tactical emergency medical services (TEMS) response in hazardous environments. It primarily assists injured or stranded migrants who enter the United States illegally from Mexico at remote desert locations. The BORSTAR Headquarters is located in
El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
, and units are stationed in each southwest Border Patrol sector.


History

Officials in the Border Patrol's San Diego Sector asked for permission to start a rescue team to help agents and civilians who needed assistance. BORSTAR was created in 1998 in response to the growing number of migrant deaths along the
Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...
. In 1999, a BORSTAR training academy opened in
Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
, and in 2001, the unit added rescue dogs. In 2007, BORSTAR was placed under the command of the newly formed Special Operations Group (SOG) together with the Border Patrol Tactical Unit BORTAC. The unit has evolved and has enhanced its capabilities to fulfill the foreign and domestic missions of DHS, CBP, and USBP.


Training

BORSTAR is composed of volunteer agents from the U.S. Border Patrol. After serving two years, agents may apply to attend the five-week training course. All BORSTAR agents attend an additional 6 weeks of training to become certified as basic emergency medical technicians, followed by a 10-day basic tactical medicine course. BORSTAR members learn rescue techniques, land navigation, communications, teamwork, tactical medicine, swiftwater rescue, and air operations. They also obtain their basic-level certification as an Emergency Medical Technician. Some members receive additional specialized training which may include watercraft rescue, boat operations, cold weather operations, paramedic training, and SCUBA diving.


Scope of operations

In addition to assisting migrants, BORSTAR units have helped hikers, motorists, and other Border Patrol agents in need of rescue. BORSTAR units have responded to FEMA requests for assistance, including
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
rescue operations. The Border Patrol states that "situations vary in difficulty from simply locating victims and providing them with water to complex rescues requiring agents to rappel into remote canyons to assist victims and extract them by helicopter."


References


External links

{{Commons category, BORSTAR
BORSTAR
Emergency services in the United States 1998 establishments in the United States United States Border Patrol Border Patrol Government agencies established in 1998 Police tactical units