ARTESIA, N.M., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A new academy was dedicated Thursday in New Mexico to consolidate all training under one roof for U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Robert Bonner, commissioner of customs and border protection, dedicated the academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, N.M.
Bonner said Border Patrol training in the past has been fragmented with operations in New Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
"This hallmark effort to consolidate those educational assets and expertise at a centralized location will be an extraordinary benefit to the caliber of agents and the specialized training our new agents received," he said.
The New Mexico location provides an environment similar to the Southwest border where many agents are initially assigned due to the vast amount of illegal migration and illegal drug smuggling in the region.
More than 11,000 agents will receive training at the academy in anti-terrorism, criminal law, behavioral science, patrol operations, firearms and the Spanish language.
