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  4. RGV Sector holds ceremony for “Name the Mustang” contest

RGV Sector holds ceremony for “Name the Mustang” contest

Release Date
Fri, 07/24/2015

MISSION, Texas — Rio Grande Valley Sector, in partnership with Channel 4 News (local CBS affiliate), held the "Name the Mustang" online contest during June and July. The general public was invited to participate in naming four new horses, wild mustangs that had been added to the RGV Sector Horse Patrol Unit. A total of 950 entries were submitted and four names were selected: "Hidalgo," "El Dorado," "Ranger," and "Vega." The winners were presented with a certificate of appreciation along with an RGV Sector belt buckle.

Acting RGV Sector CPA Raul Ortiz poses with the Vega family and Mustang

Acting RGV Sector CPA Raul Ortiz poses with the Vega family and Mustang "Vega." Linda Gonzalez submitted the Vega name in memory of Border Patrol Agent Javier Vega who died tragically in an off-duty incident while with his family in Raymondville, Texas in August 2014.

This "tradition" of naming newly acquired mustangs goes back several years when RGV Sector reached out to local elementary school students to assist in naming those horses. RGV Sector recently acquired additional horses in collaboration with the Department of Interior’s Noble Mustang Program. Through the program, the mustangs are selected and taken to different penitentiaries where inmates perform training before the horses are offered up for adoption. The Kansas City Correctional Facility is one of those penitentiaries where trusted inmates do the basic training.

Once the horses arrive in the Rio Grande Valley it takes several more weeks for them to be paired up with their riders and gain their trust. When training is complete, the rider and horse head out to perform border security duties, continuing a tradition that has been with the United States Border Patrol since our early beginnings in 1924.

The Rio Grande Valley Sector is part of the Joint Task Force-West South Texas Corridor, which leverages federal, state and local resources to combat transnational criminal organizations. To report suspicious activity, call the sector’s toll-free telephone number at 800-863-9382. Please visit www.cbp.gov to view additional news releases and other information pertaining to Customs and Border Protection.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021