Brownsville, Texas – Teens are kicking down doors, rounding up bad guys, even firing guns.
The KENS 5 Border Team joined the latest generation of teen Explorers from Post 2966 being trained by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
A select group of a half dozen teenagers, ages 14-21, gathered at an undisclosed Border Patrol station after school.
The teens are busting their way into a future in law enforcement, training for the day they put their lives on the line.
The group performs an active shooter simulation inside a single floor office building. As flawless as the drill looked, it was not perfect, said Patrol Agent and Lead Advisor Antonio Valdes.
The teen who took down the active shooter made a wrong call, saying the suspect appeared dead.
“We don’t use the terminology ‘dead,’” Valdes noted. “We’re not doctors.”
Valdes reminds them that every call they make, has consequences.
“I want them to build that self-confidence, leadership skills. I want them to break out of that shell,” said Valdes.
Mistakes need correcting if they’re ever to become federal agents.
A year ago, Hermilo Rubio graduated from the Explorer program and dove straight into the Border Patrol academy. At age 19, Rubio is a field agent stopping drugs and people from coming through the border illegally.
“From the exercises to the handcuff techniques, officer presence, everything was familiar… except over here was the actual job,” said Rubio.
The Explorers don’t gather around campfires to sing ‘kumbaya.’ They have a strict weekly schedule, go through rigorous physical exercises and hands-on activities from fingerprint forensics to actual firearm shooting. It is nothing short of basic military training.
Nearly half a million teens and children were enrolled in one of 6,700 Explorer posts and clubs in 2016. Though not all are law enforcement-focused or physically intense.
The 2966 Border Patrol Explorers post in Brownsville created in 2001, is recognized by the agency as one of their best in competition.
“We try to make it as realistic as possible,” said senior Border Patrol Lead Explorer Anahi Figueroa. “It does get adrenaline pumping, it does give us like a ‘wow, this does really happen. People really have to train for this.’”
“Everybody gets to experience what it feels like to be a team leader,” added Lead Explorer Joshua Loya. “They get to realize what it feels like in the real world to get all that pressure. And so, when they go out in their future career they know what to do.”
Figueroa and Loya are at different stages in the program. Loya is in high school while Figueroa is about to finish college. Both have different interests and ever since signing up with the Explorers, they’ve considered a career in law enforcement.
The program has become a recruiting tool for police departments and federal agencies all over the country looking for committed individuals. Commitment helps build the character that sets them apart, they said.
“We also want people to see the other side of law enforcement. We want them to know that law enforcement is here to help them,” said Loya.