Why Border Patrol Recruits at Rodeos

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You are paying for Border Patrol to sponsor bull riding.

For nearly two decades, the government has been hiring workers for border enforcement at rodeos. In 2008, US Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol’s parent agency, began its sponsorship of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), the largest competitive bull-riding league in the world, which brings sanctioned rodeo competitions to hundreds of cities every year.

The contract for the initial partnership petered out during the Obama years. But during President Donald Trump’s first term, amid a broad push to hire for the Border Patrol, the administration reupped the association, signing a $1.5 million deal with PBR.

In 2019, the government allotted $3 million annually for the next five fiscal years for the PBR sponsorship, for a total of $15 million.

At PBR league events, bullfighters are branded with slick jerseys declaring the event “Protected by US Border Patrol.” Pickup men—mounted riders who corral the bull once it’s thrown its rider—sport Border Patrol ads on their shirts and leather chaps. At some events, the Border Patrol makes a dramatic entrance, rappelling from the rafters into the arena as the national anthem plays.

Often, a recruiting booth is positioned outside the event, with pencils and drink koozies, ready to “target specific applicants who fit Border Patrol’s applicant profile,” according to a 2024 CBP hiring report.

CorrectionAn earlier version of this video mistakenly used the phrase "lessthanzero" instead of "nonzero" at 253. The original can be found here

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