U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently hosted an open house to commemorate the opening of a new facility in Corpus Christi that houses both Office of Field Operations and U.S. Border Patrol personnel. The facility is the first of its kind in Texas to house two CBP field branches.
“The new station will magnify our ability to secure our nation’s borders,” said Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Rosendo Hinojosa. “The new facility will provide adequate space for continued expansion and the facilities necessary to increase our effectiveness in preventing terrorists, illegal immigrants and narcotics from progressing further into the United States. Additionally it will not just be a more efficient way to manage the effectiveness of the operations of CBP but it is a practical way to manage costs.”
“This new joint facility is another milestone in the implementation of a unified border management strategy,” said Houston Field Office Director of Field Operations Judson W. Murdock II. “It provides a great opportunity to build efficiency into our operations and it enhances Field Operations and Border Patrol’s ability to keep our border safe.”
The $24 million facility is built on nearly 30 acres. It includes more than 35,000 square feet of office space, nearly 10,000 square feet of canopied parking, an 8,400-square foot warehouse, 2,000-square foot wash station and 775 square feet of kennel space. This facility is a vast improvement from the separate 5,000-square foot and 1,000-square foot facilities that Border Patrol agents and CBP officers were working in previously. The new facility is a larger, better equipped compound that allows the agents and officers to perform their duties more efficiently.
Located at 9149 State Hwy. 44, Corpus Christi, Texas the new building has room for considerable growth. In addition it was built in accordance with LEED Silver standards. LEED certification indicates a building was constructed to improve energy savings, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality as well as to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The new facility allows CBP officers and Border Patrol agents to directly interact and leverage each other’s resources to include joint training, improved operational planning and coordination.