Former Agent Says, 'Border Patrol Does Good Work ... But There's Tension There'
In The Line Becomes a River, Francisco Cantú looks back on his time as a Border Patrol agent. He says, in his experience, "No matter what obstacle we put at the border, it's going to be subverted."
About 10 years ago, a recent college graduate named Francisco Cantú told his mother what seemed like good news: He got a job.
"I think she was terrified when I decided to join the Border Patrol," he says. "And I think she was also confused about why I was doing this."
Cantú had studied the border in school, but he wanted to understand it more deeply. He attended the Border Patrol Academy and emerged equipped to patrol the Arizona wilderness.
He says, "The first time you're thrown a set of
