Customer Reviews

On the Line: Inside the U.S. B

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think 99% of America would be absolutly shocked to learn what's going on along our borders--illegal immigrants from countires such as Iraq paying Mexican smugglers to get them across the border, the Mexican military crossing into Arizona and Texas with narcotics, Coyote smugglers killing illegal immigrants by the dozen, drug cartels offering a $200,000 bounty to anyone who kills a border patrol agent, tunnels a half mile long shooting beneath the border, U.S ranchers arming themselves with machine guns to protect their property. The list goes on and on, and the most shocking part about it is that we seldom hear about these events in the news. Living in Southern California, I had been led to believe that Border Patrol operations such as Gatekeeper have largely stopped the flow of illegal aliens and drugs, but now I realize that they have only pushed the problem into more remote parts of the border where the news media seldom venture. The authors of this book did an excellent job at exposing the truth of what is going on in America's backyard. They interviewed what seemes to be hundreds of patrolmen, politicians, and citizens who deal with these issues on a daily basis, as well as offer a ray of hope for the border patrol under the newly created department of homeland security. Hopefully if enough people read this book, maybe politicians will stop skirting around border issues as they have for the past thirty years and make some much needed changes that will help protect the US from invasion. A MUST READ!

No doubt about it. This book covers the history of the Border Patrol. However, it falls far short of what it ostensibly bills itself and ends up more as a "fluff piece" than anything else.

As someone who has not only served as a Senior Border Patrol Agent (13 years) but also a Border Patrol union president and outspoken critic of the agency, I have studied this agency inside and out without the affects of tunnel vision that typically accompany the job (many say a necessity). Pacheco, as an active agent (when he wrote the book at least), appears headed in the right direction with the book and then suddenly veers off target. His somewhat ambiguous message that border security is a difficult task is obviously an attempt to straddle the line (I apologize for the pun) so as not to appear too contentious or controversial. Did he need to seek agency approval for publication since he was actively employed? If so, then the credibility issue leaps out and the book is worth the historical content alone if nothing else. If he did not need agency approval and was truly writing without restraint, then he failed to accurately convey the real state of the Border Patrol and border security.

Simply put, the Border Patrol, as with most of the Homeland Security subcomponents is disintegrating. Remember the incompetence of FEMA (a Homeland Security subcomponent)? Well, multiply that incompetence times ten. Heard about the poor morale of FEMA employees? Multiply that problem by one-hundred and you have an accurate picture of the Border Patrol. A Border Patrol in which the vast majority of otherwise employable agents spend ninety-percent of their time trying to get out. Those that choose to stay in do so only because of the comparatively worse off agencies in DHS. The bottom line is that as a former agent, I lose sleep at night knowing what I know.

Pacheco did cover the rigorous training regimen accurately even if it bordered on propaganda. That alone may attract candidates to the difficult and completely unrewarding position of U.S. Border Patrol Agent. The field stories are completely unappealing to anyone who served more than a week in a law enforcement position unless they are reading about their own exploits.

Read the book for enjoyment and homage. Just don't expect critical analysis. In fact, this book would be an enjoyable read at Stewarts Bridge (for you IB agents in San Diego).

ON THE LINE is the book to read if you ever wondered how the US Border Patrol functions. A real eye-opener!

I received this book in the middle of finals and made the mistake of opening the cover. I couldn't put it down. I purchased the book to learn more about the USBP and now I want to be an Agent! The proud history of the USBP is illustrated well as is the current status of the organization. The author really seems to know what he is writing about and must've interviewed a hundred people.

This book is a pretty good history of the USBP. Going back to Jeff Davis Milton (for more info on him read "A Good Man With a Gun") on to the new DHS Customs and Border Protection agency. The book talks about the good and the bad, but the authors show some bias. They tend to blame INS for all the USBP ills instead of also talking about the bad management in the BP itself (supervisors who's mantra is "the alien you don't catch is the one who won't get you in trouble" or, on the other end of the spectrum "stop everybody and come up with a legal reason for the stop later"). USBP mismanagement drives away many a good agent, along with the being stationed in some of the worst places you can imagine in the US. Former BP Agents can be found in just about every Federal Law Enforcement Agency across the country for the reasons stated in this book. Over all, good work guy.

If you are looking for a book that goes into the history of the Border Patrol. This is it. It also goes into some of the problems and challenges facing Border Patrol Agents everyday. The author tells exciting stories from his time on the job. This book should be a must read for anyone considering a career in the Border Patrol, as it offers great detail and insight into what it takes to be an Agent.

The thing that surprised me about this book was how tough the training of these border agents is. Americans should know this and honor their hard work. This is a good book on a very important aspect of our nation's security after 9/11.

This book is a "must have" for every Border Patrol Agent who wants to learn more about our long and proud history. I was so attracted with the material that I could not avoid reading the book twice in just a week.

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK, I WAS ON OPERATION JUMP START, WITH THE U.S.B.P., SO THIS BOOK MEENS ALOT TO ME, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK, GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND YOUR FAMILYS