Daniel Brown/Business Insider
Border Patrol agents George Syer (left) and Rene Quintanilla (right).
MCALLEN, TEXAS - I was in Southern Texas covering the immigration and separation of families crisis for nearly a day when I got word that I had secured a Border Patrol ride along.
"The Rio Grande sector accounts for about 40% of the apprehensions in the United States," Border Patrol agent Chris Seiler, told me as we drove away from the station a few days later. "The McAllen station specifically is about 20% of the entire nation, and we catch about 300 individuals a day just in this 50-mile span of border."
For nearly five hours last Monday morning, I followed Seiler and agent Rene Quintanilla around as they patroled in and around the Rio Grande River, which separates the US and Mexico.
Here's what happened: