El Paso, in December 1934. Thirty-four trainees attended classes in marksmanship and horsemanship.

Although horses remained the transportation of choice for many years, by 1935, the Border Patrol began using motorized vehicles with radios. Rugged terrain and the need for quick, quiet transportation guaranteed that horses would remain essential transportation to the Patrol even to the present day.

The War Years

The workload and accomplishments of the Patrol remained fairly constant until 1940, when the Immigration Service was moved from the Department of Labor to the Department of Justice. An additional 712 agents and 57 auxiliary personnel brought the force to 1,531 officers. Over 1,400 people were employed by the Border Patrol in law enforcement and civilian positions by the end of WWII. During the war, the Patrol provided tighter controlof the border, manned alien detention camps, guarded diplomats, and assisted the U.S. Coast Guard in searching for Axis saboteurs. Aircraft proved extremely effective and became an integral part of operations.

Border Patrol Role Expands

Legislation in 1952 codified and carried forward the essential elements of the 1917 and 1924 acts. The same year, Border Patrol agents were first permitted to board and search a conveyance for illegal immigrants anywhere in the United States. For the first time, illegal entrants traveling within the country were subject to arrest.

As illegal immigration continued along the Mexican border, sixty-two Canadian border units were transferred south for a large-scale repatriation effort. In 1952, the government airlifted 52,000 illegal immigrants back to the Mexican interior. The program was terminated after it ran out of funds