The Border Patrol Station in Hansboro is one of 18 border crossings in North Dakota that are Customs Border Protection (CBP) Divisions of the Department of Homeland Security. The Hansboro border crossing is a relatively lightly traveled crossing that is located where North Dakota Route 4 intersects with the Canadian town of Cartwright. The Seattle field office of the CBP heads this location.
As part of a billion dollar effort to upgrade the border facilities along the U.S.’s northern border with Canada, over $15.3 million in renovations of the Hansboro Border Patrol Station was authorized to begin in 2009.
The Role of the Border Patrol in Hansboro
Since the tragic events of 9/11, there has been a strong effort to increase security along the northern border of the U.S. with Canada. The Department of Homeland Security has increased the number of Border Patrol agents at the northern border crossings over six fold from 2001-2012.
The Department of Homeland has three goals for the northern border. The first is to deter and prevent illegal activities such as terrorism, trafficking, smuggling, and illegal immigration. There is a grave concern that potential terrorists or violent extremists could enter the U.S. from Canada. While potential suspects have been detained at the northern border, fortunately no terrorist threats have been detected so far.
The smuggling of contraband such as illegal drugs has been a serious problem, however. The major source of MDMA (Ecstasy) that is smuggled into the U.S. is Canada. Other types of contraband have been intercepted at the border. In 2009, a U.S. citizen returning into the country at the Hansboro border crossing was found to possess a large quantity of child pornography upon examination by the Border Patrol officers.
Use of Electronic Manifests in Hansboro
Border Patrol jobs in Hansboro involve closely monitoring vehicles entering the country to detect any illegal items that are being brought into the country. In addition to personal vehicles, there is a sizable amount of imports trucked into the country from Canada. Such vehicles were required to provide electronic manifests of the goods they were transporting in by January 2007, so that Border Patrol agents could better inspect the contents of the trucks. This facilitates an additional goal for the border which is to encourage lawful trade between the U.S. and Canada.
The final goal is to ensure the safety of the public in case of attacks by terrorists or natural disasters. Border Patrol agents are trained to respond to a variety of emergencies. This makes them a useful resource for the community of Hansboro.