Border Patrol teams up with customs for first time

Officers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection are teaming up with U.S. Border Patrol agents to jointly man both inland checkpoints and border crossings in Arizona that once were the exclusive domain of the respective agencies.

The joint deployment program is believed to be the first time the two groups have been deployed together in Arizona, spokesman for both agencies said. Customs officers are charged with ferreting out contraband and illegal immigrants at the nation’s border crossings, while Border Patrol agents’ duty is to find illegal immigrants in inland and border areas away from official entry crossings.

Both agencies fall under the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection arm, but they normally operate separately.

Now, Customs officers man an Interstate 19 checkpoint south of Green Valley normally staffed only by Border Patrol agents, adding their expertise in finding contraband to an inspection station primarily meant to find illegal immigrants.

In return, Border Patrol agents are spending shifts alongside officers at the ports, which makes for speedier inspections, said Customs and Border Protection spokesman Brian Levin.