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For the last 20 years, the US Customs and Border Protection has used rodeo events as recruitment opportunities, but amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants, backlash against sponsorship and recruitment at rodeos by the Department of Homeland Security is now growing.
The involvement of the CBP at a Professional Bull Riders rodeo event in the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for a recruitment drive prompted the Protest group 50501 to say, “We don’t want the Department of Homeland Security in our town!”
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“In the past few months alone, we have seen an increase in [Border Patrol] partnering with ICE to conduct raids and terrorize communities throughout the country. We want to send a message: Not in our town!”
Other local protest groups also condemned the event and called on PBR to revoke the Border Patrol’s invitation.
The Trump administration has previously strengthened the bond between the Border Patrol and PBR with a 2019 deal that provides $3 million annually for the next five years for PBR sponsorship, totaling $15 million.
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Rodeo riders wearing Border Patrol emblazoned shirts (PBR)
The Trump administration’s push for more border patrol officers, as well as a significant recruitment drive for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers – both of which fall under the oversight of the DHS – is increasingly politicizing events typically billed as family-friendly entertainment.
However, the flavor of these events is changing, according to reports. At professional bull‑riding events across the country, the spectacle doesn’t simply end once riders are thrown off. Pickup men – the mounted riders who swoop in to corral the bull once it’s thrown its rider – now double as walking billboards, their shirts and leather chaps emblazoned with Border Patrol logos.
The agency’s presence can be even more theatrical. At some arenas, Border Patrol agents rappel down from the rafters on ropes as the Star Spangled Banner thunders through the loudspeakers in a surreal blend of patriotism, pageantry, and law enforcement bravado.
Outside, the pitch to would-be enforcement agents continues in quieter tones. Recruiting booths are often stationed near the gates, stocked with pamphlets, pencils, and the promise of a career in border policing.
PBR has this week suggested that their rodeo events are a good fit for these recruitment drives.
Andrew Giangola, the Vice President of Strategic Communications at PBR, told Mother Jones their rodeos “attract fans who often value service, discipline, and patriotism – traits that align closely with the mission and culture of the Border Patrol.”
He added that rodeo fans are “more likely to be receptive to careers in law enforcement or the military.”
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Border Patrol Federal Agents and police keep watch as people protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Broadview facility in Chicago (REUTERS)
Sponsorship deals are already a mainstay in how organizations such as PBR operate, with the group stating that its partnerships with Border Patrol and other sponsors, including Monster Energy, Wrangler, Tractor Supply Co., and Cooper Tires, enable it to award more than $10 million a year to riders.
The federal government is now looking to swell the ranks of the Border Patrol under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed earlier this year. It sets aside billions of dollars for both ICE and the border patrol, with a focus on recruitment and retention.
As part of this effort, new Border Patrol agents are being offered financial incentives worth up to $30,000. Recruits receive $20,000 in hiring bonuses – half upon completing training and the remainder after three years of service. Those recruits assigned to what the agency calls “priority locations,” including in some regions of Texas and Arizona, are eligible for an additional $10,000.
The Independent has contacted PBR and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
