US Customs & Border Protection CBP Yuma Air Branch Subdued Brown Patch
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations – Yuma Air Branch
The Yuma Air Branch is a critical component of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operations (AMO), responsible for patrolling more than 125 miles of international border across both California and Arizona. Operating from Yuma, Arizona, this air branch deploys helicopter and fixed-wing assets across some of the most unforgiving terrain along the entire U.S.-Mexico border—the scorching Sonoran Desert, the rugged Granite Mountains, the Imperial Sand Dunes, and the desolate Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge—where temperatures regularly exceed 115 degrees and migrants and smugglers risk death from dehydration and heat exposure.
Air and Marine Operations is the nation's premier airborne and maritime law enforcement organization, employing approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel who operate 240 aircraft and 300 marine vessels throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Yuma Air Branch primarily operates the AS350 A-Star and EC120 Light Enforcement Helicopters, providing aerial patrol, surveillance of stationary and moving targets, and rapid response capabilities in partnership with U.S. Border Patrol sectors, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices, and local law enforcement agencies across the region.
The Yuma Air Branch's missions extend far beyond traditional border interdiction. Aircrews regularly conduct life-saving search and rescue operations in the brutal desert environment, locating and extracting individuals in distress—work that has accounted for a significant percentage of all AMO rescues across the Southwest Region. In Fiscal Year 2019 alone, AMO enforcement actions nationwide resulted in the seizure of approximately 284,825 pounds of cocaine, 101,874 pounds of marijuana, and 51,058 pounds of methamphetamine, along with 935 weapons, $34.1 million in currency, and facilitated 52,036 apprehensions.
Perfect For: CBP Air and Marine Operations agents and veterans, Yuma Air Branch aircrews, U.S. Border Patrol personnel, Department of Homeland Security professionals, federal law enforcement aviation enthusiasts, and supporters of border security operations.
Guardians of the desert sky—honoring the Yuma Air Branch aircrews who fly the most demanding border patrol missions in America's most unforgiving terrain, saving lives and securing the homeland.
