(The Center Square) – The far west Texas U.S. Customs and Border Protection sector of Big Bend made history under the Biden and Trump administrations – for different reasons.
The sector this week unveiled a first-of-its-kind advanced vehicle barrier system, the GRAB 350, at the Sierra Blanca immigration checkpoint. The checkpoint is located at a critical enforcement location along Interstate 10 in Hudspeth County roughly 90 miles east of El Paso.
It is the first of its kind to be deployed at any of the 45 permanent Border Patrol checkpoints nationwide, CBP says.
The GRAB 350 is a new semi-autonomous vehicle barrier system that combines an energy absorbing ground-retractable barrier with an in-ground tire-shredding system designed to stop extremely large high-speed vehicles.
“Interstate 10 is a major artery connecting communities across the country. When someone attempts to bypass an immigration checkpoint, they are putting innocent motorists and our agents at serious risk,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Lloyd Easterling said. “This system allows us to stop and contain those threats in a controlled environment, before they become dangerous pursuits on public roadways.”
“From a public safety perspective, the technology is designed to reduce the likelihood of high-speed chases, collisions, injuries and loss of life. From an agent safety standpoint, it increases distance and control during enforcement actions and minimizes the need for close-contact vehicle interventions,” CBP said in a statement.
The Sierra Blanca checkpoint is one of four permanent checkpoints in the Big Bend Sector where thousands of vehicles are processed daily in a mountain pass bordering Mexico. Agents there play “a vital role in detecting illegal activity and preventing illegal aliens and narcotics from reaching major population centers,” CBP says.
The new technology represents a marked reversal from the previous administration, which strained resources in one of the most remote regions of the country.
The sector covers the largest geographical area of any sector along the southwest border, representing nearly one-quarter of it It includes 77 Texas counties and the entire state of Oklahoma (78 counties), covering 165,154 square miles. Border Patrol agents also patrol 517 miles along the Rio Grande River.
The sector has historically had the fewest number of agents who haven’t had the necessary equipment and technology to patrol the terrain. They are responsible for patrolling an area including a northward route from northern Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mexico, with a port of entry at Presidio. The region includes rocky ravines, canyons and desert with extreme temperature changes. It includes Big Bend National Park, state parks and wildlife refuges.
Because of the type of terrain, building a border wall is impossible and nearly all illegal border crossers are single military age men who are physically able to climb through canyons and trek through the desert, authorities have told The Center Square.
Despite the difficulty of the terrain, under the Biden administration, at the height of the border crisis, Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended a record nearly 12,000 illegal border crossers in 2023. They also reported more than 9,100 who evaded capture, referred to as gotaways, The Center Square exclusively reported.
Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents had never seen these numbers in Border Patrol history.
Fast forward to the Trump administration and the sector received a surge of resources and an historic drop in illegal border crossings.
In fiscal 2025, Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents reported slightly more than 3,000 illegal border crossers, according to CBP data excluding gotaways.
This was due to “decisive border security policies and enhanced detection and identification capabilities,” expanded Title 8 enforcement, ending catch and release, and deploying 55 autonomous surveillance towers and other detection technologies, Easterling said. “The decrease in illegal entries is a testament to strong border policy, as well as the tireless efforts of our agents, support personnel, and partners like the Department of War and Texas Military Department,” he said. “The men and women of Big Bend Sector have shown resolve, expertise and heart. They conduct their border security mission with great skill while operating in some of the most rugged terrain in the country.”
By last July, the sector launched a new aerostat near Sanderson, providing 24-hour surveillance capabilities. Under the Biden administration, funding for aerostats was cut. Border Patrol agents rely on the large balloons, referred to as “eyes in the sky,” to detect human traffickers, illegal border crossers and others lost in remote areas. The balloons’ radar is capable of detecting aircraft up to 200 miles away, CBP says.
Under the Trump administration, the Big Bend Sector also celebrated another first. For the first time in Border Patrol’s 100-year history, a new horse was born into its horse patrol detachment last year. Sierra Blanca Independent School District students named her Dolly.
