US Border Patrol’s newest agent in the embattled El Paso sector, where tens of thousands of migrants have recently crossed from Mexico, is a sleek black Labrador named for a famous reindeer. And he’s already a potential target for drug cartels.
Blitzen is six months old and the latest addition to the Border Patrol’s nation-wide support canine program — which launched last month in order to help “promote resiliency” among agents, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
Like his drug-sniffing peers, Blitzen is considered an important asset in the fight against smuggling. He’s part of a coterie of highly trained dogs that are hated by criminal organizations who have tried to eliminate them in the past, according to a source.
“The Canine Support Program supports our agents and support staff as they face the challenging environment of their border security mission,” said El Paso Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Peter Jaquez. “The program can mitigate the negative emotional or psychological impact from the stresses they face in their duties.”
The El Paso Sector, which covers a 264-mile stretch of the US/Mexico border, has lately been overwhelmed with migrant crossings. In fiscal 2022, Border Patrol agents in El Paso recorded 258,760 migrant encounters.
Last month New York City Mayor Eric Adams traveled to El Paso to get a first-hand look at the crisis as tens of thousands of migrants were being bussed to New York City.
“Canine support teams will improve staff morale, assist in emotional recovery, and promote agent resiliency,” said Jaquez.
There were 14 suicides among 60,000 Customs and Border Patrol staff across the country last year, according to Republican Texas Rep Tony Gonzales in a tweet last year. “That is 14 too many,” he said.
Dogs like Blitzen, whose handlers are described as Border Patrol chaplains and peer support members, have been marshaled to help boost morale. But further details about the role of Blitzen and the identity of his handlers are classified information for fear of reprisals from drug cartel members who smuggle drugs and people across the border, according to a Customs and Border Protection spokesman.
Although Blitzen is a support dog for Border Patrol staff, he is also part of an elite team of canine agents who undergo an intensive seven-week program that trains them to find hidden drugs and people.
“They are high-value units, and sometimes they are targeted,” the spokesman said.
At the US Border Patrol Canine Center in El Paso at Fort Bliss, the canines assigned to active duty work alongside their Border Patrol agent handler are “exposed to concealed humans and five trained odors — marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin,” according to a CBP press release.
With more than 1,500 canine teams, the CBP Canine Program is the largest and most diverse law enforcement canine program in the country.
In addition to Blitzen, who started work at the Family Support Unit in El Paso Sector earlier this month, Pearl, a yellow Labrador trained in obedience, embarked on her training in the Laredo Sector Border Patrol in January. Pearl is six years old and was welcomed with “hugs and brought smiles to all Laredo Sector employees,” according to a press statement.