Elite Border Patrol unit helps catch criminals inland

(NewsNation) — An elite group of Border Patrol agents has found success cracking cases away from the border, in part due to the complicated and rugged conditions the group is used to working in.

NewsNation got an exclusive look at the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC, which has been called in on high-profile cases such as the search for escaped Arkansas convict and ex-police chief Grant Hardin, known as the "Devil in the Ozarks."

"When (BORTAC) is the best of the best, it's because of the work they do in a rural setting tracking people," Gil Kerlikowske, chief of Customs and Border Protection during the Obama administration, told NewsNation.

While news of BORTAC's success in locating and apprehending Hardin added to the unit's reputation, National BORTAC Cmdr. Christopher Voss considered it just another case of his group doing its job.

Voss said in BORTAC’s case, how the team is built and its selectivity are by design. But the more attention the unit receives for completing another successful mission, the greater the demand becomes, as the unit's track record speaks for itself to state and local agencies seeking assistance from federal agents.

“I’m glad I’m not a person who has to compete against them,” said Victor Manjarrez, director of the University of Texas-El Paso's Center for Law and Human Behavior and the U.S. Border Patrol’s retired sector chief in Tucson. “They’re just a higher-quality agent. They’re better skilled and better equipped.”

BORTAC called into cases across the country

After completing a rigorous training and selection process, life inside the unit becomes one dependent on balance. BORTAC agents are expected to keep an ear to the ground on current events around the country, ensuring they have a working knowledge of possible situations the unit could be deployed into.

Because of an influx of illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border since 2021, BORTAC agent Juan "Angel" Vasquez said the unit has maintained a steady tempo of activity in recent years.

BORTAC was credited with the 2022 capture of escaped Pennsylvania prison escapee Danelo Cavalcante, one of several high-profile cases the elite tactical unit has worked in recent years. (Photo courtesy of BORTAC).

The unit was called in to help during the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, as well as the manhunt in Pennsylvania for Danelo Cavalcante in 2023. Previously, the unit had been called in response to riots in Portland after the 2020 killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, before turning its focus to immigration enforcement efforts around the country since the start of this year.

Following the Hardin capture, BORTAC agents were also dispatched to Washington state to assist in the search for Travis Decker, who remains missing after allegedly killing his three daughters.

“Those are huge, high-profile operations, and basically, the word’s out there on that,” Voss told NewsNation, adding that the unit's success has created an increase in caseload. “Because of that … people call us and ask us to assist them.”

Agents assigned to BORTAC operations told NewsNation they have not faced animosity from other law enforcement agencies they assist. Instead, because the agencies involved share an end goal, they find that other investigators are thankful for the assistance.

For Voss and his BORTAC team, though, every operation, regardless of its profile, is about carrying out their jobs.

"When we get (in) on the ground, we get in where we fit in and we're aiming for the same thing," Voss told NewsNation. "And that's mission success and protecting the American public."

BORTAC's selection process

For the agents who are assigned to high-profile manhunts or other dangerous missions, doing the job well often comes down to mindset.

Vasquez said BORTAC training is meant to intentionally place potential agents through the physical and mental ringer, setting them up for success when called upon. Vasquez said maintaining a sense of work-life balance within a unit and keeping agents fresh through peaks and valleys is a "very fine line" to walk.

“It sounds cliché, but this is, like, the type of thing that everybody wants to do in this job,” one of the BORTAC agents involved in Hardin’s capture told NewsNation. “That's why you do it, you know?"

BORTAC selects only between 20% and 30% of Border Patrol agents who complete the unit’s rigorous training process, something Voss credits as a primary reason for the unit’s success rate.

Like Green Berets, Army Rangers, Navy Seals and other Special Operations groups, the division of federal agents counted among BORTAC's elite is considered a different breed.

Lt. Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety worked alongside BORTAC at Uvalde and considers the unit a "last resort," called in when all other state and local resources have been exhausted. But once they were brought in, Olivarez said he appreciated the unit's team-first approach.

"It’s not so much about one agency taking credit for everything," Olivarez told NewsNation. "At the end of the day, you need to work together in order to get a goal accomplished."

Voss said the team's success is based on a "zero fail" mindset that is instilled in each agent during training, preparing them for the work ahead.

Like in the capture of Hardin in Arkansas, each mission BORTAC accomplishes is met with temporary satisfaction — with the understanding that another operation is likely around the corner.

"We never know where we’re going to be, and so always keeping ourselves ready is just one of those things," Vasquez said. "But every time we complete a mission, there is a sigh of relief that it came to a successful law enforcement conclusion and that our folks are safe and everybody is safer because of it."