Border Patrol interns headed to Southwest

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — An historic moment occurred last Friday when Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Mellia swore in the first interns ever inducted into the United States Border Patrol in Maine.  Six young men took the oath in a private ceremony at the Houlton Sector building after the Chief reminded them of their responsibility “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” with honor and integrity especially under difficult, even dangerous conditions.
Houlton Pioneer Times photograph/Elna Seabrooks
NEW AGENTS — Houlton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Mellia swears in six new U.S. Border Patrol Agent Interns who will train for 15 months in the Southwest before returning to Maine.
    The Houlton sector under Mellia’s command is responsible for the entire state of Maine which includes 611 miles along the border with New Brunswick and Quebec.
    With references to historical contexts and the evolution of the oath from the Revolutionary War era, to the Civil War, the Oklahoma bombings and the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Chief Mellia explained that as law enforcement officers, they are held to a higher standard and affirm that they take the oath without reservation.
    “This is not just another job. You’re changing careers.  You’re going to be law enforcement officers,” he said. Then  the six young men stood, raised their right hands and stated their names as Mellia led them through the oath affirming their support of the Constitution “against all enemies foreign and domestic.” Mellia congratulated them with: “Welcome to the United States Border Patrol.”
    Houlton’s own Michael Matheson, one of the new interns, had worked for the Border Patrol 10 years ago through a school program in the very headquarters where he took the oath.  Married now, with four children, he heads to the academy in Artesia, N.M. for training that includes becoming fluent in Spanish before he returns to Maine.  Matheson says he and his family are excited.  “Especially living in northern Maine, this is the type of opportunity you can’t pass up.”
    Friends encouraged Matthew Johnson from Calais to join the Border Patrol after he graduated from Eastern Maine Community College.  “I can’t wait to be back in Maine and have that status among local people. I know how much Border Patrol people are respected in this area,” Johnson says about his new career.  He considers growing up in Maine around firearms and being in good physical shape as assets.
    Christopher Bouchard from Fort Kent recently graduated from the University of Maine with a major in criminal justice.  He says he likes working outdoors, helping the public and expanding the operations of the Border Patrol with more coverage in Maine. Although he won’t miss shoveling snow over the winter, he says he’s not sure how to prepare for the intense heat on the Mexican border.
    Of all the interns (earlier terminology was trainee), Mellia says: “I’m expecting them to go to the Border Patrol Academy and give it their best … because right now they represent the Houlton Sector.” The fifteen month program at the academy is made up of both physical and academic disciplines. “They’re learning immigration law, nationality law, constitutional law. They’re learning how to drive defensively, how to drive at high speeds, about hand-to-hand combat tactics, about firearms … procedures and policies.”
    Saying there is a high standard for physical fitness, Mellia explained that in this sector an agent could be responding to a situation alone in an ATV, snowmobile or on snowshoes.  And cooperation with other law enforcement officers may be required when people are entering the country illegally with narcotics or if currency seizures are involved.
Houlton Pioneer Times photograph/Elna Seabrooks
HOULTON HQ — Outside the Houlton Sector headquarters, (from left) Assistant Chiefs Aaron Heitke and Mark Herring pause with Deputy Chief Alfredo Casillas and Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Mellia after the six new recruits were sworn in as agent interns of the Border Patrol
     Part of the national strategy for Maine, says Mellia, is to augment and properly secure the sectors on the northern border which means more technology, locations, infrastructure and personnel.  “9/11 was a wake-up call for the U.S. to secure our borders.”  In addition to the traditional roles of apprehending illegal aliens, confiscating illegal drugs and cash, he expects to double the number of his agents over the next couple of years because the primary mission is now going after terrorists.