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Editor's Note: Government Executive reporter Chris Strohm is in New Orleans. This is one of several dispatches he will file this week on recovery efforts.

NEW ORLEANS--The Border Patrol conducted the largest tactical operation in its history on Sept. 5 after Hurricane Katrina hit in support of local law enforcement, officials said.

The operation consisted of flying Blackhawk helicopters loaded with elite agents into the city in order to secure a perimeter for 24 hours, all without any rehearsal.

With local law enforcement personnel and resources severely depleted because of the storm and subsequent flooding, the New Orleans Police Department asked the Customs and Border Protection bureau to help secure the city's second and fifth districts, where gunshots had been heard.

The Border Patrol's tactical unit took the mission, said Charles Sears, who is executive officer for the agency's hurricane relief operations and a Border Patrol Tactical Unit agent.

"A single car with two officers in it is hardly prepared to deal with guerrilla-style warfare and being shot at from different locations," he said.

Within six hours, the agency had assembled a team of 87 agents from BORTAC and SWAT units, five Blackhawk helicopters and 20 vehicles.

The Blackhawks took off from CBP's air and marine operations center in Hammond, La., which had been converted into a forward operating command post for all CBP hurricane relief efforts.

The Blackhawks picked up agents in Baton Rouge and flew them to two different landing zones in the city, where other agents with Border Patrol vehicles were waiting.

"It was an absolute textbook case of the deployment of assets," Sears said.

The operation ended without incident; no gunshots were fired at the agents and they did not encounter any resistance.

"We wanted to deploy enough assets to be self-sustaining for 24 hours and move in with a show of force," Sears said. "We believed that if we deployed, in two different locations, a large contingent of well-trained and armed agents, that we would get the upper hand."

The operation was one example of how federal law enforcement agencies have responded to assist local law enforcement, both in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes, since Hurricane Katrina struck.

Sears said the operation also represents what kind of capability CBP will have when it officially reorganizes its air operations on Oct. 1. On that date, CBP's Air and Marine Organization and Border Patrol aviation assets will become CBP Air, one force to support all operations.

COMMENTS

• So who was minding the store on the border while the Border Patrol was sent to New Orleans? I didn't realize that disaster relief was a mission of this agency, especially when there were thousands of first responders (police, firefighters, EMTs, etc.) from the affected areas and surrounding states with better training and equipment for this role, not to mention the military and the National Guard. Even ICE and DEA had to get in on the act. Very commendable, but was it the best use of these limited resources, especially with the invasion of the United States by illegal aliens in full swing? GovExec.com reader Posted September 28, 2005 4:00 PM
• It is clear the postings to this article reflect a significant lack of knowledge and background on the Border Patrol's tactical unit. As long as I've been involved with immigration and customs enforcement, BORTAC has had a paramilitary mission with respect to securing the storm ravished areas of the America's southeastern borders. That is probably why they performed well, they were prepared for the call. This is a small dedicated group of Border Patrol Agents who go through extensive and demanding training to meet the paramilitary challenges such as hardened criminals and smugglers with assault and sniper rifles. They train regularly with our best law enforcement and military units. Not to take away from the Coast Guard, they have a different mission, but the President couldn't make a more informed call than inviting this unit into an area after the hurricane blew through. The extensive drug enforcement activity in Florida in the 1980s brought a branch effort by drug runners to the area in search of new smuggling routes. A BORTAC deployment was the right thing to do. To the idiot on the Southern Border, who do think is setting up ambushes at night to take on heavily armed dope and alien smugglers in support of the normal BP operations? You owe these guys your support, not your ignorance. GovExec.com reader Posted September 20, 2005 7:25 PM
• Ah yes, another classic BP 'dog and pony show'. But's let's not forget that President Shrub WANTS more illegals coming into this country. In fact, legislation is now being prepared to magically turn these illegal infiltrators into so-called 'guest workers'! Just research what Europe is going through w/these people. Finally, I heard that the reason that President Shrub wants more Mexicans flooding into our country is so that when Hillary is president in 2008, she can make sure to care for each one...Think about it. GovExec.com reader Posted September 19, 2005 9:02 AM