The vast size of Texas, its trillion dollar economy, and its proximity to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico create a number of opportunities for criminal gangs and potential terrorists to infiltrate the country. Thus, homeland security efforts in Texas are critical to the security of the US as a whole. In fiscal year 2009, the federal government spent the most money on homeland security efforts in Texas of any state in the country.
U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that Texas has the largest number of immigrants entering from Iran, Lebanon, and Somalia of any location along the Southwest border. This is considered to pose a grave threat to the country’s security. Texas has 23 international bridges or ports of entry along its 1,254 mile border with Mexico.
Texas had 26 convictions related to terrorism between 9/11 and March 2010, including the effort to bomb the Dallas Fountain Place office tower in 2009. The country’s second Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) was created in Houston in 1987, and the state has the most JTTFs of any state on the country. Over 150 federal law enforcement agencies are active in Texas, creating a number of opportunities for those who seek careers as federal law enforcement officers in the state.
One of the ways to join the ranks of these officers is to obtain a bachelor’s degree. This is the minimum educational requirement of many federal agencies. A number of law enforcement officials have at least one degree in criminal justice.
Federal agents undergo a rigorous training process before they start work in the field. For example, both the FBI and the DEA have academies in Quantico, Virginia. Classroom education is augmented with physical conditioning and training in practical techniques such as driving in pursuit and becoming proficient in the use of firearms.
Careers in Federal Law Enforcement in Texas
Texas has the largest number of federal officers of any state in the country who are authorized to carry firearms and carry out arrests. According to the Bureau of Justice, over 18,000 such officers worked in Texas in 2008.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Due to the scale of many criminal conspiracies in Texas, federal agencies frequently work closely with each other and state and local authorities to disrupt the following types of activities:
- Drug trafficking
- Money laundering
- Weapons trafficking
2013 successes from the OCDETF included the following:
- The arrest of 16 people for drug trafficking in Eastern Texas
- The arrest of 13 people for distributing methamphetamine out of Amarillo
DEA. Agents from the DEA are highly active in Texas. Houston, in particular, is a major hub for Mexican cartels to move large quantities of drugs into the US. In 2010 alone, authorities seized over 108 tons of marijuana and 1.5 tons of cocaine in Houston that were destined for distribution throughout the country.
In addition, prescription drugs are another commodity that has been increasing in prominence in recent years. In conjunction with other agencies, DEA agents arrested 33 people in El Paso in 2013 who had been smuggling over 32,000 doses of prescription drugs.
FBI. In addition to the FBI’s contribution to the arrest of drug traffickers, the agency has been highly active in other cases in Texas. Recent FBI cases from 2013 included the following:
- The arrest of a Texas actress who had mailed letters containing ricin to President Obama and two other government officials in 2013.
- The dismantling of a Dallas brothel
- The arrest of 13 suspects in Houston for prostituting underage undocumented girls from Mexico
- The arrest of a former prosecutor from West Texas for taking bribes
Domestic Intelligence Groups in Texas
Given the importance of the security of Texas to that of the US as a whole, the federal government has established a number of intelligence centers in the state. These include the following:
- El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC)
- The DEA’s tactical fusion center
- Over 300 officers from 15 agencies in 2010
- El Paso Southwest Intelligence Group (SWIG)
- The FBI
- Border Violence Intelligence Cell (BVIC)
- ICE
Federal Law Enforcement Offices in Texas
ATF:
- Austin Satellite Office
- Beaumont Satellite Office
- Corpus Christi Satellite Office
- Dallas
- Field Division
- Field Office
- El Paso Satellite Office
- Houston Field Division
- Laredo Satellite Office
- San Antonia Field Office
- Waco Satellite Office
CBP:
- Abilene
- Alpine
- Amarillo
- Brownsville
- Carrizo Springs
- Corpus Christi
- Cotulla
- Dallas
- Del Rio
- El Paso
- Falfurrias
- Fort Brown
- Fort Stockton
- Freer
- Harlingen
- Hebbronville
- Kingsville
- Laredo
- North Station
- Sector
- South Station
- West Station
- Lubbock
- Marfa
- Sector
- Station
- McAllen
- Midland
- Pecos
- Rio Grande
- San Angelo
- San Antonio
- Sanderson
- Uvalde
- Zapata
- Riverine Site
- Station
DEA:
- Alpine Resident Office
- Amarillo Post of Duty
- Austin Resident Office
- Beaumont Resident Office
- Brownsville Resident Office
- Corpus Christi Resident Office
- Dallas Field Division
- Del Rio Post of Duty
- El Paso Field Division
- Fort Worth Resident Office
- Galveston Resident Office
- Houston Field Division
- Laredo District Office
- Lubbock Resident Office
- McAllen District Office
- Midland Resident Office
- San Antonio District Office
- Tyler Resident Office
- Waco Resident Office
FBI:
- Abilene Resident Agency
- Amarillo Resident Agency
- Austin
- JTTF
- Resident Agency
- Beaumont
- JTTF
- JTTF Annex
- Resident Agency
- Brownsville
- JTTF
- Resident Agency
- Bryan
- JTTF
- Resident Agency
- Conroe
- JTTF
- Resident Agency
- Corpus Christi
- JTTF
- Resident Agency
- Dallas
- Division
- JTTF
- Dallas-Fort Worth Resident Agency
- Del Rio Resident Agency
- El Paso
- Division
- JTTF
- Fort Worth Resident Agency
- Frisco Resident Agency
- Houston
- Field Office
- JTTF
- Laredo
- JTTF Annex
- Resident Agency
- Lubbock
- JTTF
- Resident Agency
- Lufkin Resident Agency
- McAllen
- JTTF Annex
- Resident Agency
- Midland
- JTTF Annex
- Resident Agency
- Plano JTTF Annex
- San Angelo Resident Agency
- San Antonio
- JTTF
- Field Office
- Sherman Resident Agency
- Texas City
- JTTF
- Resident Agency
- Tyler Resident Agency
- Victoria Resident Agency
- Waco Resident Agency
- Wichita Falls Resident Agency
ICE:
- Abilene
- Amarillo
- Austin
- Beaumont
- Brownsville
- Corpus Christi
- Dallas
- Del Rio
- Eagle Pass
- El Paso
- Falcon Dam
- Galveston
- Harlingen
- Houston
- Irving
- Laredo
- Lubbock
- McAllen
- Midland
- Presidio
- San Angelo
- San Antonio
- Tyler
- Wichita Falls
Secret Service:
- Austin (Financial crimes task force)
- Dallas
- Financial crimes task force
- Northern Texas electronic crimes task force
- El Paso
- Houston
- Electronic crimes task force
- Financial crimes task force
- HITEC electronic crimes task force
- Irving
- Dallas N-Tec electronic crimes task force
- Lubbock
- McAllen
- San Antonio
- Financial crimes task force
- Tyler
U.S. Marshals:
- Beaumont
- Houston
- San Antonio