Renovations for El Centro Sector Horse Patrol Unit completed
CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - After years of planning, El Centro Sector's Horse Patrol Unit (HPU) finally has a place to call home.
The Calexico Stable Facility is devoted to honoring Border Patrol Agent Alejandro Flores Bañuelos, who was unfortunately struck by a vehicle and killed on March 15, 2021.
Bañuelos was responding to a car accident on State Route 86, a four-lane divided highway, just north of Westmoreland, Calif.
When the accident happened, a dust storm caused low visibility in the area.
Bañuelos had recently graduated from the Horse Patrol Unit Basic Horsemanship Course.
El Centro Sector's HPU launched in 2003 with only four agents and five horses.
This unit now has 13 riders and 17 horses.
The main responsibility the HPU has is to patrol the Jacumba Wilderness area and the Yuha Desert—where vehicles cannot operate.
The facility is located next to the Calexico Border Patrol Station.
It's fully-functioning with an 18-stall mare hotel, large and small arena, 50-foot round pen, a one-acre turnout, multiple storage shelters and three wash racks with several hitching posts around the compound.
Equipment like leather gear are stored and maintained in climate-controlled storage units for daily maintenance and healthcare of the horses and now has plentiful space to store trailers and extra equipment.
According to agents, this unit will drastically better response time for the El Centro Sector's area of responsibility and is easily accessible for community events, presentations and crowd control situations.
