An Elite Border Patrol Unit That Saves Lives and Fights Crime in the Desert

Border Patrol BORSTAR agents carry an injured patient on a stretcher to a waiting helicopter in the Imperial Sand Dunes near the U.S.-Mexico border, Calif., on Nov. 30, 2019. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

IMPERIAL SAND DUNES, Calif.—Adrenaline surged as several agents, part of an elite Border Patrol unit, heard the 911 call on their radios. They leaped up from their lunch break, abandoning freshly served diner food, and rushed out to their vehicles.

“People got out of our way pretty quick,” said agent Travis Carter, a new medic on the 15-man Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) team. The agents looked formidable in their multi-camo uniforms, with equipment pouches and gear strapped on.