From the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Jolene Craig writes...
PARKERSBURG — United States borders and security was on the minds of Rotarians Monday as a border patrol
agent and Parkersburg native spoke at their luncheon.
Mark Deem, son of former Wood County Commissioner Gary Deem, has been an agent for the U.S. Border Patrol for 11
years and has worked at both the Mexican and Canadian borders. He spoke during the Parkersburg Rotary luncheon
in the Wood County meeting room.
Deem started with the southern sector in San Diego, Calif., and moved to the northern sector in South Dakota three years ago.
"Both borders have unique challenges," Deem said. "The northern borders numbers (of illegal people crossing) are
not as high as the southern borders’, but the cases have been more interesting."
He said one case involved a person coming across the border inside the dashboard of a car.
"I asked the driver if I could look in the glove compartment, and when I opened it, there was a pair of feet
staring back at me," Deem said.
The Border Patrol is not part of Homeland Security, but a separate agency established in 1904 as "mounted inspectors"
on horseback with about 50 members and now has more than 11,000 men and women.
Deem said the priorities of the Border Patrol have changed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to include
weapons of mass destruction and other aspects of terrorism within the U.S. borders.
"The Border Patrol is primarily inside the borders and works with other agencies across the borders," he said.
Last year, the agency arrested 1.2 million people and made about 60 percent of the country’s drug seizures, Deem said.
"We do everything we can to make sure the people we put in the field are capable of protecting this country," he said.
Agents go through a rigorous process of testing and training in extreme weather conditions for 20 weeks before becoming
agents and are periodically tested after being on the job for certain periods of time.
"It’s a never ending struggle to keep (terrorist) intelligence out of the U.S.," Deem said.
Deem also tried to stop rumors about the Border Patrol including racism and brutality.
"I work along side people of all races and nationalities, from Africa and Europe," Deem said. "We are not at all
racist and treat everyone equally."
As for reports of agents using brutal force with illegal aliens and other arrested at the borders, Deem said they are false.
"I can only talk as a field agent, but I have never in my 11 years seen a Border Patrol agent brutalize anyone," he said. "I have seen
agents give their lunches to those they have apprehended because they have not eaten for days, and I have seen agents
risk their lives time and time again to save those in need."
Contact Jolene Craig at jcraig@newsandsentinel.com
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