Physical Address:
152 Marine Street
Lake Charles, LA 70601-5612
Phone: (337) 721-3400
Fax: (337) 721-3405
The Border Patrol station in Lake Charles, Louisiana was first established in 1927. From 1927 to 1934, the station was opened and closed several times. In 1934, it was closed due to economic necessity during the Depression. In 1941 the station was reopened.
Crewman control and the apprehension and removal of domiciled undocumented aliens were the main reasons the station opened originally. Lake Charles has been a seaport of entry since 1926. Prior to 1941, oceangoing vessels arrived and were inspected in Orange, Texas. These vessels then proceeded to Lake Charles via the Intercoastal Waterway and the Calcasieu River. In 1941, a new channel was opened from Lake Charles to the Gulf of Mexico, and for the first time, the port was classified as a deep-water port. This permitted deep draft vessels to proceed directly to Lake Charles.
In addition to crewman control duties in and around Lake Charles, the station was responsible for locating undocumented aliens in the entire western half of the State of Louisiana. This involved farm and ranch checks, traffic checks, and transportation checks of arriving and departing commercial transportation.
During World War II, officers were assigned along the Gulf Coast to prevent the landing and infiltration of enemy agents into the United States by submarines. These units were active about seven months, and were then reduced until the station shrunk to four officers.
The station's area of responsibility remained basically the same from 1941 to 1958 until the Baton Rouge station was reestablished. About 50% of the Lake Charles station's area was then reassigned to Baton Rouge.
After World War II, the complexity of operations changed to the extent that crewman control and its supporting activities, traffic check and transportation check, became the most demanding and important phases of the station operations. While these activities remain an important enforcement mission of the station today, station activities also include anti-smuggling, intelligence, employer sanctions, and the criminal alien program.