John Griffin, left, Steve McPartland and Wes Stephens, agents in the Border Patrols elite Air Mobile Unit, search for illegal immigrants a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego County. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Border Patrol agents run through dust and debris kicked up by a Black Hawk helicopter. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Border Patrol agents check the shoe patterns of eight men and a woman. The agents discovered the group a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
People arrested near the border await questioning by Border Patrol agents. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
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A Border Patrol agent holds cellphones taken from people arrested near the border. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
People handcuffed together are led to Border Patrol vans. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Agent Brandon Longaker has been nicknamed Captain Technical by his colleagues because of all the gadgets he carries while on patrol in the rugged border terrain. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Agent Brandon Longaker looks over the Mexican town of Tecate. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
