Sumas residents' pride on display in community event Saturday

PETER JENSEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Sumas residents' pride in their community was clearly evident at the annual Community Days event Saturday, June 27, in the Sumas City Park, while the U.S. Border Patrol had a chance to show off its newest station in Whatcom County.

Residents gathered in the park Saturday afternoon to listen to music, watch kids enjoy games and view many classic and newer model cars in a car show that lined Third Street.

Earlier that morning they had a chance to watch a parade proceed down Cherry Street.

Katie Barnes | THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

The U.S. Border Patrol's Blaine sector opened a new station in Sumas in October 2008, but finally had the chance to show off the new digs to the public during an open house Saturday afternoon.

Agents offered to take residents on tours of the station, while others displayed the various vehicles agents have access to. U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine division in Bellingham even flew a helicopter out to the new station.

The station is the largest along the United States' northern border, Patrol Agent in Charge John Strauch said. It houses about 60 agents currently, but has the capacity to house 100.

Strauch said the new station has been a great asset in patrolling and policing the U.S.-Canadian border from the Guide Meridian into the North Cascades. Previously, agents were based at a smaller station in Lynden, which made for cramped working conditions and slower response times to incidents in the east county, Strauch said.

In Sumas, agents are much closer to known smuggling routes and have more space to do their work.

"Trying to work 60 guys out of that small station (in Lynden) was a chore," Strauch said. "We're a lot closer to the areas we patrol. Logistically it's a lot better."

Strauch said the event was a good opportunity to show the community what the Border Patrol does at that station, as the number of agents working in the county has grown considerably in the past couple years.

This makes their presence much more visible to residents, but they might not know what kind of work they're doing, Strauch said.

"We're so much bigger out here in the last five or six years," Strauch said. "People have questions about what we're all about. This was a perfect day to do it."