U.S. Border Patrol begins
The U.S. Border Patrol was established in 1924 through the Labor Appropriation Act, originally as part of the Bureau of Immigration within the Department of Labor. Its creation formalized a system of mounted patrols that had been in place for two decades, primarily to address the rising issue of alcohol smuggling during Prohibition, which began in 1920. Initially, 450 agents were tasked with monitoring the extensive U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada, a responsibility that expanded to include coastal patrols due to the enforcement of the Immigration Act of 1924. This legislation imposed strict immigration quotas, particularly targeting individuals from certain regions, thus increasing the Border Patrol's focus on preventing illegal entries, especially from Mexico and specific countries along the coasts.
During this time, agents operated with relatively little oversight and often faced significant dangers, including violence from organized smuggling operations. The Border Patrol's effectiveness in reducing illegal immigration and liquor smuggling was notable, leading to the eventual restructuring of immigration enforcement agencies in the 1930s and 1940s. The historical context of the Border Patrol reflects broader themes of immigration policy, enforcement practices, and the societal impacts of Prohibition in the United States.
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Subject Terms
U.S. Border Patrol begins
Identification: Federal law enforcement agency responsible for preventing smuggling and unauthorized entry into the United States.
Date: Established May 28, 1924
Established to secure the northern and southern U.S. borders between immigration and customs checkpoints, the U.S. Border Patrol spent much of the middle and later 1920s policing violations of Prohibition and of increasingly stringent immigration restrictions.
The U.S. Border Patrol was established by the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924 as part of the Bureau of Immigration (at that time part of the Department of Labor), formalizing an irregular system of mounted patrols begun two decades earlier. Establishment of the Border Patrol was motivated by a substantial increase in the smuggling of alcohol, or rum-running, with the onset of Prohibition in 1920. Initially, 450 men were recruited, largely responsible for monitoring 2,000 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico and over 5,000 miles of the border with Canada. Another law requiring border controls was the Immigration Act of 1924, which limited the legal immigration of persons from Africa, Asia, and eastern and southern Europe. To combat those trying to circumvent tight immigration quotas, the Border Patrol’s responsibilities were expanded to securing the coasts as well as the land borders, especially in Florida and the Gulf Coast areas.
The U.S. Border Patrol established a southern headquarters in El Paso, Texas, and a northern headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. For the most part, agents operated with little oversight. Along the Florida coast, agents often focused on illegal Haitian entries; along the Pacific coast, their focus was illegal Chinese and eastern European entries. Along the U.S.–Mexican border, then as now, the focus was on Mexicans attempting to enter the United States illegally.
Reducing human smuggling activities and illegal liquor imports where the main concerns of the Border Patrol in the 1920s. Many American citizens would commonly take a short trip across the border to Mexico or Canada to consume alcohol freely and then try to sneak some back with them. More organized rumrunners were willing to defend their valuable contraband with violence, such that by the end of Prohibition at least thirty Border Patrol agents had been killed. Much of the work was done by foot or horse patrol and involved regular checks of passenger and freight trains. Along the Canadian border, there was also an airplane patrol.
Impact
The U.S. Border Patrol in the 1920s was considered effective at reducing illegal immigration and illegal liquor imports. In 1933, the Bureau of Immigration was combined with the Bureau of Naturalization to form the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which was moved from the Department of Labor to the Department of Justice in 1940.
Bibliography
Hernandez, Kelly Lytle. Migra! A History of the U.S. Border Patrol. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010.
Moore, Alvin Edward. Border Patrol. Santa Fe, N.M.: Sunstone Press, 1988.