RFI: Border Patrol Stations in NM/West TX

[Screwball]

Well, it has been well over a year... but today I got an offer of employment from Border Patrol. It also followed with one for a CBP Officer. Extremely happy to get this far, but looking for information from people either in BP or know the area of NM and West TX.

For CBP, I only have one location... Houlton, ME. Keeping it open just to have a fall back, but academy would be April 2019. Plus, I’m tired of NJ winters... so ME likely isn’t going to be much better.

For BP, I was given a list of eight stations... which I have to pick two for Monday.

-Eagle Pass, TX (not South)
-Carrizo Springs, TX
-Marfa, TX
-Presidio, TX
-Alpine, TX
-Sanderson, TX
-Sierra Blanca, TX
-Lordsburg, NM

I know there are some BP and CBP guys on the forum, so hopefully I can pick your brains.

In regards to the area, I have an understanding on it being very different than NJ. I am doing as much research as possible on my end to get an idea of what I’ll be facing in regards to relocating in all of these areas... but if anyone does have any insight of them, definitely would like as much information as possible.

My main question... out of these stations, which ones are in need of people more than the others? I can look up real estate, crime, population, schools, etc... but unsure if there is any other way of finding out agency needs.

The woman from the hiring center asked me which position I was siding with (BP or CBP)... which I replied that I know people are needed more in that area, so leaning towards BP. She commended me on my answer. I originally had a start date in October (like a week and a half), but did have an issue that I couldn’t easily get out of (think they need an answer for Monday, and wouldn’t be able to get it squared away over the weekend; stupid as it sounds... jury duty). Scheduled for end of November, with a May graduation.

Thanks for taking a look.

[RevolverRob]

I can't comment on which station needs the most...but seriously man West Texas out there is...nothing like New Jersey at all. It's like the exact opposite, it is REMOTE. Absolutely stunning and gorgeous country, but extremely far away from anything. Brewster County Texas, which Alpine is the county seat of, is the single largest county in Texas, it is bigger than Delaware or Connecticut. It has a population density of 1.5 people per square mile, it's only a couple of thousand square miles smaller than New Jersey. Sanderson, Alpine, Marfa, Presidio, and Sierra Blanca are all in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas (some ~31,000 sq miles of area), which is considered a geographic region of Texas. You'll be driving A LOT of miles out there and backup will be hours away.

That said, it's beautiful country and most of the traffic you're going to see will be tourists. Cost of living is high out there, relative to what one might expect, there is little water, and no agriculture. Everything has to be trucked/imported. When you're in Alpine/Marfa/Presidio the closest Wal-Mart is in Ft. Stockton, Texas, about a 90-minute drive from Alpine, which is the closest city to it. In other words, nothing is coming to you fast and/or convenient there. I'm not sure Amazon even guarantees two-day deliver. Cell service? Meh. Internet service? Not really. It's way the fuck out there man.

If you have a family at all, I'd consider Trans-Pecos out. There's very limited access to resources out there.

By contrast, Eagle Pass and Carrizo Springs are father south and are much closer to the Rio Grande Valley. Still a remote area, but not nearly as remote as Trans-Pecos. You'll find an actual city in Eagle Pass (though it is a border town) and with things that will make life far more livable.

[SeriousStudent]

I grew up there, and would move back in a heartbeat if I could make a living. I miss it terribly.

There is solace in isolation, and in silence you can find peace.

[RevolverRob]

FYI: Winters aren't "warm" in west Texas either. You're at relatively high elevation up there and though during the days it'll be warm'ish, but at night it will get cold quite cold. More than once I've been doing field work out there (we do it in the winter, because the summer is too hot), and a Nor'Easter has blown in and dumped a couple of inches of snow or more overnight. It fades fast, but it's there. And importantly, infrastructure for dealing with it, isn't there. You won't find salt trucks snow plows out there at all.

Farther south, you'll get almost no snow or even frost. Eagle Pass will be beautiful nearly year round weather wise.

[TheNewbie]

From reading honor first, Alpine is a great place to live but you will be doing mainly checkpoint duty.


I would love Presidio or Marfa (Marfa just has one checkpoint as far as I know). The honorfirst forum guys who worked at Lordsburg seemed to love it.

Hopefully some of the guys on here can give you actual first hand info.


Congrats on the call dude. That is awesome!

[Duelist]

Good luck, and congrats.

I've lived in east Texas, driven all the way across the long way a couple of times, and would be happy with any of your choices, but would put Lordsburg at the top of my list, from those options.

As mentioned, none of those locations are huge population centers. I just like the area around Lordsburg, proximity to mountains, accessibility to Arizona, where a lot of my relations live, among other reasons. Plus, there's wild elk in New Mexico.

[TGS]

For me, personally, I'd choose Lordsburg out of any of those.

Both of my buddies are in Ajo and Casa Grande, so no scoop on the stations themselves. I'm basing my assessment totally on the area and what's around it that I know. I think it's wise to dig as deep as possible to get answers from BPAs themselves, because there could be some quality of living factor (like how many hours you have to drive to get to work, upkeep of the stations, known management) that make or break the stations.

Congrats and thanks for your service, because America is definitely going to "get theirs" out of you at those stations, dude.

[TCB]

Congratulations and welcome to the Patrol, we certainly need bodies. I have a couple classmates in Lordsburg, Eagle Pass & one that went to Persidio, did a week long training in Marfa (they put us up in Alpine) and have a buddy in Chorizo Springs (not a spelling mistake, that’s how it’s known throughout the Patrol). Hit me up and I can try to answer any questions you have. Also, with us currently having mobility transferres & swaps (don’t know how long that will last) after you are career conditional (2 years) you may have an opportunity to get somewhere a little more to your liking.

[fixer]

That part of Texas and eastern New Mexico is some seriously desolate areas.

I mean I'm in Seminole and even I am like...Daaaammmmmnnnn there is nothing out there.

I've been out here almost 10 years and have gotten used to an hour drive to get to anything. Where you are going its probably 1.5 times that.


I would toss a coin on all the Texas locations. Lordsburg seemed sketchy the dozen or so times I've driven through and tried not to stop for gas.

Winters are colder than you'd think and summers are very hot and the sun is eye wateringly bright all year round.

A lot of BP guys from Alpine shoot matches in Hobbs. Carlsbad NM has some strong shooting clubs. Hobbs club is great too.

I'm sure you've seen No Country For Old Men. Really good show for depicting that area of East New Mexico and West Texas.

I have to say thanks for signing up for this line of duty. It takes big huge brass fucking balls to be border patrol, game warden, or DPS out here.

On another note...the Permian basin is an oil play out here you might have heard of. You'll also have to get accustomed to sharing the road with fluid haulers, frac strings, and rigs. Its balls-out insanity in the oil fields out here.

[LSP552]

Congratulations, and thank you for your public service.

I love TX!