EL PASO, Texas — The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector - Emergency Planning Office, the Government of Mexico’s Centro de Investigación y Seguridad Nacional (CISEN) hosted a full-scale bi-national exercise today at the El Paso Border Patrol Station that involved federal, state and local law enforcement agencies from the United States and Mexico.
The purpose of this exercise was to evaluate the current Border Violence Protocols and the capabilities as they relate to communications and coordination of on-site incidents, management during a real world simulated event. “Exercise Harms Way” allowed the participants to test the effectiveness of their communications and response capabilities, all while responding to a simulated international incident.
The collaborative exercise between the U.S. and Mexico enhanced and improved the unified response to international incidents that may occur along our International Boundary within the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez corridor.
Several agencies participated in the exercise, including:
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Office of Border Patrol, Office of Field Operations and Office of Air and Marine)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Homeland Security Investigations)
- Centro de Investigación y Seguridad Nacional
- Instituto Nacional de Migración
- Secretaria de Gobernacion
- Fiscalía General del Estado
- Secretaria de Seguridad Publica Estatal o Protección Civil del Estado o Centro de Comando, Control, Comunicaciones, Cómputo, Inteligencia
- Secretaria de Seguridad Pública Municipal
- Procuraduría General de la Republica
- Sistema de Administración Tributaria
This exercise demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies along the border in keeping the communities on both sides of the border safe, while safeguarding our nation’s borders.