National Border Patrol Museum
National Border Patrol Museum Location within Texas | |
| Established | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Location | 4315 Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 31°53′56″N 106°26′27″W / 31.898804°N 106.440842°W |
| Type | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[1] |
| Director | Samantha Winer[2] |
| Chairperson | Michael L. Underdown, Board of Trustees; Robert Boatright, Board of Governors[3] |
| Owner | Border Patrol Museum and Memorial Library Foundation |
| Website | borderpatrolmuseum |
The National Border Patrol Museum is a museum dedicated to educating the public about the history of the U.S. Border Patrol.
Description
It is the only museum with the U.S. Border Patrol as its sole focus; its artifacts cover the agency's entire history.[4] Among the exhibits are weapons and vehicles used by the agency, including helicopters. There is a Border Patrol dog exhibit, an art exhibit, and a display of officer badges.[5] also depicted are various methods individuals have used to cross the border between Mexico and the United States.[6]
The museum employs six people and has fifteen volunteers.[7] its revenue comes from charitable contributions, membership payments, inventory sales, and interest income.[7][8]
The museum is adjacent to the El Paso Museum of Archaeology at the base of the Franklin Mountains, surrounded by the Castner Range National Monument.
History
The museum was established by a 1979 vote of the Fraternal Order of Retired Border Patrol Officers. The state of Texas issued its certificate of incorporation in 1980, and the Internal Revenue Service recognized it as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.[1] Its original location from 1985 to 1992 was the Cortez Building in El Paso. From 1992 to 1994, museum artifacts were in storage awaiting construction of a new building. The current 10,000 square feet (930 m2) space opened its doors in 1994, and it is located on 2 acres (0.81 ha; 0.0031 sq mi) of land in the Castner Range National Monument.[9]
In 2019, protesters wheatpasted photos of individuals harmed by the Border Patrol over exhibitions honoring the fallen officers of the Border Patrol.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Border Patrol Museum & Memorial Library Foundation". Tax Exempt Organization Search. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "Museum Staff". Border Patrol Museum. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "Board of Trustees". Border Patrol Museum. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ Frommer's Texas. Frommer's. 2011. p. 340.
- ^ "Exhibits - National Border Patrol Museum". National Border Patrol Museum. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- ^ Payan, Tony (2006). The Three U.S.-Mexico Border Wars: Drugs, Immigration, and Homeland Security. Praeger. pp. 73, 74. ISBN 978-0-275-98818-0.
- ^ a b "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Border Patrol Museum and Memorial Library Foundation. Internal Revenue Service. December 31, 2022.
- ^ "Funding". National Border Patrol Museum. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ "History of Border Patrol Museum". Natl Border Patrol Museum. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ Borunda, Daniel. "2 activists arrested in El Paso after surrendering in Border Patrol Museum protest case". El Paso Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.