Standard Operating Procedure

Uniform discipline and USBP equipment

This is the entry condition for duty. Anyone who does not meet the uniform discipline cannot start a shift. The general rules of the event (bans, safety, chrono) are in the official Basic Rules — here you will find only what concerns us directly.

Vz 95 is forbidden because it is the mandatory uniform of the Zapatistas — the only faction that has USBP in its HATED list. In a vz 95 uniform your own people would shoot you, and they would be right. Uniform discipline replaces the "nationality" of persons and USBP has no right to use a disguise.

What to carry on duty

• Reflective vest and participant ID wristband — without them you do not start a shift. The vest means "out of game"; a person marked this way must not be shot at. All in-game documents that you will check at the crossing are linked to the ID wristband, and the number must match the document.
• White adhesive tape — the main tool you use to destroy seized drugs and pistols.
• Basic tools (screwdriver, flashlight) — without them you cannot remove a motorcycle fairing and the find will get away.
• Cash for search compensation for vehicle searches — without it you cannot do your job.
• Water — at least 3 liters per person per rotation.

Duty and rotations

USBP holds the crossing 24/7 for the whole game time, August 5, 2026 16:00 – August 8, 2026 16:00. Without discipline in rotations, water and food the platoon will not manage it.

• Most rotations last about 4 hours, and it can happen that you go straight from the gate to a border patrol.
• Report to the USBP commander well in advance, not only at the time the shift starts.
• During a rotation it will almost never be possible to refill water in the area or to go for food. Plan your equipment accordingly — bring food that can be eaten while moving.
• Rotate between positions ("antennas" / person checks / vehicle checks / tower / exit gate) and let part of the platoon rest in the shade. Duty at the border is typically in direct sunlight, in full equipment, at the beginning of August.
• The squad leader is responsible for making sure all his people have enough water and food before the shift. Check it, do not just ask about it.
• If you have enough people, feel free to put on reflective vests and go off-game to the canteen.
• USBP refresh is 1 hour and cannot be shortened — death will not take you out of the game for long, dehydration will.

QRF

• When you cannot handle the gate, when you are on patrol in contact, or when you have prisoners, take the radio and ask for reinforcements. QRF will almost always be available, including several vehicles.
• QRF duty = being ready so that the unit is able to leave the base and carry out a task within 5 minutes at the latest. When I need to sleep, I sleep in my uniform or in a way that keeps me ready in time.

Base defense

We share the base with the US Army and it is in game for the whole event. We hold the gate, we hold the towers, and we run the defense in rotation just like the gate at the crossing.

What we hold at the base

• Gate — permanently manned. Who comes and goes is recorded by looking, not by guessing.
• Towers — permanent watch. The tower is the only place from which you will see an attack in time. A tower without a crew is a tower you will lose.
• QRF — ready to move out within 5 minutes. But QRF is not a replacement for permanent defense; once it drives away, the rest holds the defense.
• Reaction to incoming fire — everyone at the base, even off duty, must be able to join in. Sleep in a way that lets you be ready to fight quickly.

What the enemy can destroy and how

The tower, the gate and the base are destroyed only with a paintball weapon by a hit on an A4-sized target board. Normal BBs have no effect on them.

When the gate or the base falls

1. Report it immediately to USBP and US Army command. Not only after you have tried to solve it yourselves.
2. Do not open or close the gate yourselves. A destroyed gate may be handled only by a GAMEMASTER or ORG and must stay open for one hour.
3. Defend the horn. As long as the enemy cannot reach it, the base stands. Build the defense around it, not around the open gate.
4. Pull the QRF back if it is outside and the situation allows it. An open gate is the state in which the base is most vulnerable.
5. After the refresh restore the towers and man the gate before you go back to the normal rotation.

Practical instructions

• Never leave a tower without a relief. Handing over the watch is a handover, not a departure.
• The tower watch reports direction, number, description and distance. "Somebody is there" is not a report.
• Hold the base at night too. Incoming fire at 03:00 is just as valid as at 14:00.
• Cooperation with US Army: we hold the defense together, but on US territory the US Army is superior to USBP — in base defense you follow its instructions unless USBP command decides otherwise. See ROE — chain of command.

Cooperation with other forces

The operation of the crossing is provided by USBP together with the other armed forces. Knowing your allies by sight is part of the job — at the crossing you will recognize them before they have time to introduce themselves.

Chain of command of the US armed forces

Allies — how to recognize them and how to deal with them

USBP PARTNERS: US ARMY, GOVERNOR ADMINISTRATOR, CIA, FBI, EPSO, ICE. HATED: none. The only faction that has USBP in its HATED list is the Zapatistas.

Factions that are not our partners — how to recognize them

• Zapatistas — vz 95 + a single-color beret. They have USBP in HATED. They have their own version of the Weapon Certificate (ZAPATA).
• Los Dorados — boonie hat / US BDU field cap, black shirt, tan trousers + logo. Mexican law enforcement force, issues Mexican documents, may use CITY GUN. Careful not to confuse them with ICE — ICE also has tan trousers, but a ranger green shirt and cap.
• Mexican cartels — civilian clothing + bandana: Sinaloa RED, Gulf BLUE, Los Zetas GREEN, Tijuana ORANGE. The bandana is mandatory only at the moment of combat activity — so at the crossing do not rely on a cartel member being marked.
• Texas Rednecks — checkered shirt + Texas flag. American civilian militia, not a US armed force.
• PEMEX — operates the oil well, may use CITY GUN, you can verify with them whether a barrel of oil is genuine. Nuestra Familia — civilian clothing + jewelry. Santa Maria de Jarineiro — hat. Pawn Stars — civilian clothing, traders. El Protector news — in-game journalists, it is recommended to let them access events.

Border with Mexico

Bridge of the Americas remains the only legal border crossing in the game. The border is marked in the terrain in three ways, and different rules apply to each of them.

• White-and-red warning tape (YELLOW line on the map) — the border cannot be crossed here; crossing is a serious violation of the rules, that is, an off-game matter for a GAMEMASTER / ORG.
• Yellow-and-black warning tape (RED line on the map) — it can be crossed, but illegally in game and with the risk of the death penalty. This is where patrol is played.
• Mobile fences and non-woven fabric — this is where the border crossing stands. The walls must not be pushed aside, crawled under or broken through with vehicles, and a hit through a wall is not valid.

Border road between the occupied zone and Mexico

Border patrol

The section marked with yellow-and-black tape is where the game against smugglers is played. Assume that anyone crossing here has a good reason — either he is armed, or he is smuggling contraband. Your goal is to catch him and seize the goods.

Commander's intent

• Crossing the border at places marked with yellow-and-black tape, as well as crossing a closed border crossing, is illegal in game and carries the risk of death.
• Before using force, PID is always required and graduated force is used — for a detailed explanation see ROE.
• USBP prefers detention over shooting. A dead smuggler will tell you nothing (you may search him only for 10 minutes after death), while a detained one can be interrogated and handed over. The shotgun (stun for 10 minutes) is the ideal middle step for us.

Tactics

1. Let the group cross. If you confront them before they cross the border, you will only hear insults, the group will turn around and try somewhere else or later.
2. Inform the other units over the radio — position, number of persons, description, direction — and detain them when they no longer have many options to escape back to Mexico.
3. Move as a buddy team, never anyone anywhere alone.
4. When detaining, search the person according to the section Person check procedure, report to command that you have a prisoner, and request QRF for transport.
5. If they escape back to Mexico, report it to command. You may pursue into the occupied part of Mexico, but never alone and never without reporting.

Vehicles and motorcycles at the border

• Roads also cross the border — expect vehicles and motorcycles to try to drive through.
• Do not build roadblocks. A road can be blocked only with a vehicle and the driver must not leave it; the border road must not be blocked at all and you must not fight on it or from it.

Legal border crossing — organization

Bridge of the Americas is the only legal crossing in the game and USBP provides its operation. It is a specific activity that is at some moments very demanding, both physically and mentally.

Opening hours

• The current opening hours must be posted at the gate. Keep the sign up to date and readable — players plan according to it.
• USBP holds the crossing 24/7 regardless of whether it is open.
• If the crossing is closed, it cannot be crossed; crossing a closed crossing is an offense punishable by death by shooting without warning.

Layout and manning of the crossing

• Always have someone in the towers at the crossing. They are often occupied by CIA / FBI agents who monitor the situation — then you do not necessarily need your own people there.
• "Antennas": ideally 2 people directly in the gate, doing crowd control, deciding the order of processing and reporting to the rest of the team what is coming.
• Buddy team: you always go everywhere in pairs, never anyone anywhere alone. The same during searches — one searches, the other covers.
• Take the checked person behind a wall, out of sight from the Mexican side, so that the others cannot see what happens during the check and cannot prepare in time.

Processing priorities

1. US citizens, diplomats and armed forces — you process them with priority and without unnecessary delay.
2. Civilian population from Mexico to the USA — you let them through only after a proper search and check. GameBook: "at the crossings a search of persons according to the USBP SOP will always take place (persons who do not cooperate do not have to be let into the USA)".
3. Persons and vehicles from the USA to Mexico — the main check is on compliance with the Time Pass time and on obvious smuggling. Thorough searches like on the way to the USA are not necessary.

Person check procedure

The proven procedure from 2025 applies without change — it is safe for both sides and it makes a good RP experience. Unify the refusal terminology with the official 2026 wording: "I REFUSE THE SEARCH / RED STOP".

1. Receiving the group. A group approaches the gate, the "antennas" report the number and the rest of the team gets ready for checks. Try not to take more than 2 persons for a check at the same time, unless a long queue is forming. The "antennas" decide the order themselves (remember priority processing) and call persons to come through the border for the check. They keep the rest of the crowd at least 2 meters away — you must never let them touch you. Always make enough space so that you can use your weapon in an emergency. Do not be afraid to raise your primary weapon and threaten. Never turn your back to the crowd and watch whether anyone is hiding weapons or items under their clothing. In extreme need you may threaten to close the border crossing.
2. Taking over the person. The first person walks through the gate, where the checking buddy team takes them over immediately and leads them behind a wall so that the others in Mexico cannot see what happens during the check. The second team takes the second person and leads them somewhere completely different, so that no contact between the checked persons is possible.
3. Roles in the pair. One USBP soldier talks with the person and then also searches them — he has his primary weapon either on a suitable sling, or he keeps only his secondary weapon on him. His buddy covers him; that does not mean aiming the primary weapon at the person, but he must be ready to act very quickly.
4. Identity document. Ask the person for the ID card. It must show a name, address, a "photograph" (a drawn picture, not necessarily a real photo) and the ID from the registration wristband — it must match. Names and pictures are often funny, do not worry about that. Without showing the person their ID card, ask them for their name and address. If everything matches, return the document. Ask about the reason for visiting the USA. Feel free to have a conversation and gather information.
5. Putting down items. Ask the person to put down all items they carry. Do not take anything from their hand (on the contrary, stay out of reach in case they pull a knife), but let them put it on the ground or on a prepared place (we will try to provide tables). Then ask again whether they really have nothing left.
6. Consent to the search. Ask whether they consent to the search. All persons and vehicles are searched. A search means contact and someone may have a problem with that — so they may refuse, but in that case they must hand over all in-game items. Women should be searched by a woman; if you have no woman in the team, ask whether she consents to being searched by you as a man — then do the search very carefully and definitely do not search intimate areas. The rule "I refuse the search / RED STOP" applies the whole time: as soon as this term is said, the RP action stops, it is solved off game and the person hands over their in-game items.
7. Stance. If they agree, ask the person to turn their back to you and interlace their fingers behind their head. You grab these interlaced hands with one hand and hold their hands behind their head. It is very hard to get out of this, and you would immediately feel them trying to separate their hands.
8. Position of the cover man. Your buddy stands to the left or to the right of the person, at a distance of about 2 meters, not in front of the person and not behind you — because of cross fire.
9. Spreading the legs. Ask the person to put their feet as far apart as possible. If they do not want to, force it with your own foot. You can tell the legs are spread correctly when the person can barely keep balance and does not fall only because you hold their joined hands.
10. Reaction to a threat. At any threat (they start separating their hands) or at a dangerous find (knife, weapon, explosive) push the person away from you with force. If their legs were spread correctly, this means a fall — and your buddy has a clear shot at that moment, if needed.
11. The search itself. You must never let go of the person's hands — with one hand you hold the hands behind the head, with the other you search. You search all folds of clothing and of the body. The movement should look like stroking, not patting. Remove the headwear, check it and put it on the ground. At some point you will have to switch hands in order to search the other side of the body.
12. Gloves and intimate areas. Use gloves for the search (the tactical ones you are wearing are quite enough). Before checking intimate areas you must ask for consent again: "Do you agree that I also search the area of your intimate parts?" or "I have to check whether you have something hidden in your crotch. Do you agree?" The person may refuse, and then the same principle as before applies — hand everything over. Most people agree and take it with humor; even this place needs at least a quick check.
13. Shoes. After the search is finished, the person may put their feet together, you release their hands and ask them to take off their shoes. It is not popular, but even here they can use the rule about refusal and handing over items. Once they take the shoes off, check once more the feet and ankles through the socks and then the shoes.
14. Finishing. Ask the person to put their shoes back on and take back all their items. Thank them for cooperating and send them to the next station (the office), where they will pay the customs duty on legal in-game items and receive a Time Pass — see the section Customs duty and Time Pass.

Customs duty and Time Pass

Two administrative activities that USBP performs with every person crossing legally. Both change significantly for 2026.

Customs duty

• The customs duty applies only to legal in-game items. The default rate is 10%, the maximum is 50% of the list price.
• It is calculated from the LIST PRICE, not from the price the player actually paid. Traders may change prices by ±20%, this has no effect on the customs duty.
• Check the current customs duty and any import embargo (declared by the Governor Administrator with the approval of ORG) on the sign at the gate at the beginning of every rotation.

Example: A Mexican carries 3 barrels of oil and 2 bottles of tequila. With a 10% customs duty he pays 3 × 13 + 2 × 10 = 59,- Peso. With a 50% customs duty he pays 3 × 65 + 2 × 50 = 295,- Peso.

Time Pass

1. The person goes through the complete check and pays the customs duty on legal goods.
2. At the station you issue the Time Pass: write down the ID from the registration wristband, the date and the time until which their stay in the USA is allowed, and confirm it with the USBP stamp.
3. Keep to the standard of 2–3 hours unless the commander decides otherwise. A shorter time (45 min) for suspicious persons, a longer one (up to 6 h) for legitimate work reasons.
4. Wish them a nice stay in the USA. If the person wants to wait for other people, they must not stand near the gate — ask them to move at least 10–15 meters away along the road.
5. At the exit gate (USA → Mexico) you mainly check whether the person has exceeded the allowed time. Whoever exceeded it may be arrested and handed over to EPSO.

Vehicle check procedure

The most demanding activity at the crossing, both in time and in people. Before you start, find out the level of the vehicle — it determines how many people you need, how much time you have and how much you will pay.

A level 4 or level 5 vehicle that refuses a search does not have to be let into the USA.

Procedure

1. Announcement and parking. The "antennas" report a vehicle. If there are enough free units (at least 4–5), they let the vehicle through the gate. Ideally park it behind the fence, out of sight from the Mexican side — but do not damage the meadow with vehicles, do not drive off the roads.
2. Determining the level. Read the A4 board behind the windshield. Verify that you have enough people and that you are allowed to search the vehicle at all. Level 5 is not searched.
3. Contact with the driver. One soldier acts as the liaison person. Regardless of the number of persons in the vehicle, he goes to the driver and through the rolled-down window asks for the ID card and the driver's license. Never grab the handle and never open the door of someone else's vehicle. Check the documents, ask questions as in a foot check, and ask all persons to get out. Lead them aside, someone has to guard them.
4. Personal search. The driver according to the procedure in the section Person check procedure; if other soldiers are free, they search the other persons one by one. Searched persons are led aside, where they wait.
5. Consent to the vehicle search. The driver may refuse, but then he must hand over all in-game items. The search can only take place with the driver / owner present.
6. The search itself. Only with the driver present, so that he can withdraw his consent at any time. Split up:
   • Two on the interior, one from each side. All compartments, under the carpets, under the seats (move them fully back and fully forward), feel the seats, the roof lining — everywhere something can be hidden.
   • One on the engine compartment — with a flashlight, behind all the folds; the engine cover and the battery cover can be removed if possible.
   • One on the trunk — including the spare tire, tools, mandatory equipment and the first aid kit.
   • The undercarriage — all 4 wheels, the wheel arches and the car from below around the whole perimeter.
7. Finishing. If you found nothing, pay the driver the compensation according to the level of the vehicle. Drivers know this very well and will watch for it. For level 3 and higher you must finish the search within 15 minutes.
8. Finding contraband. The persons and the vehicle are detained, follow the section Detention and handover. In this case no compensation is paid.

Legal and illegal in-game items

What to seize, what to charge customs duty on and what never to touch. The prices are list prices — the customs duty is calculated from them.

Legal — customs duty is paid, they are not confiscated

Illegal — you seize and destroy them

What is NEVER confiscated or destroyed

• Cash — always, even from illegal activity.
• Carté de Identidat and US ID / US citizenship — they can be checked, but they cannot be confiscated or destroyed long-term because of the referendum.
• Collector's document with stamps — a non-game document.
• Pistol — it cannot be confiscated, it can only be destroyed with white tape (the refresh is the same as for its holder).

In general, anyone may destroy an in-game item by wrapping it in white tape for the duration of the refresh. If you do not know the rule for a marked item, do not handle it and do not cover it.

Documents and permits

What to ask for at the crossing, what is valid where, and what you may do with it. General rule for 2026: "Mexican in-game documents are valid in the USA and the American ones are valid in Mexico." The only exception are weapon permits.

What to check

• The identity document must show a name, address, a picture and the ID from the registration wristband — it must match the wristband on the wrist.
• A driving permit is non-transferable and is linked to the name on the in-game ID card and to the ID wristband. Without a valid driver's license do not let the driver into the USA. This applies equally to all types of vehicles.
• The Firearm Pass is a permit to own and carry a weapon visibly, including pistols. A Mexican Firearm Pass has no value in the USA.
• A player may have only one citizenship; a holder of a US ID does not need a Time Pass.
• The only mark in the ID card that the rules know is the "criminal stamp" = a permanent ban on entering the USA — it is given by EPSO, not by USBP.

Weapons during a check

What to do with a weapon you find at the crossing or on patrol. Power categories, joules and measuring are covered by the official rules — here is only the USBP procedure.

• The Weapon Certificate exists in USA / MEXICO / ZAPATA versions — for a check at the crossing this is a useful indicator of the weapon's origin.
• The Weapon Certificate may be removed from a weapon by anyone; a dead or unconscious person hands it over on request without resistance.
• Shotguns are non-lethal in the game (barrel with blue tape) and a hit stuns the target for 10 minutes. For USBP this is the ideal level of graduated force at the crossing and on patrol — you can detain a stunned person, you cannot detain a dead one.

Detention and handover

Detention is more valuable for USBP than shooting. A detained person can be searched, interrogated and handed over — a dead one will tell you nothing and after the refresh returns to the game.

Interrogation

Ask specific and useful questions: where the drug lab is, who he was carrying the goods for, who pays him, where the others cross. Prepare your questions before you start — you only have three.

Procedure when contraband is found

1. The person and the vehicle are detained. Secure them, lead them aside, guard them. The buddy team rule applies.
2. Secure the find. You may confiscate illegal items. Never cash or identity documents.
3. Report to USBP command — the place, the number of persons, the type and amount of the find, and whether you have a vehicle.
4. Contact the relevant force: ICE for drugs, weapons, drug labs and illegal migration (our first contact), EPSO for offenses committed on US territory, CIA / FBI for intelligence interrogation and information about the leaders of Mexican factions.
5. Transport. Arrange transport of the detained person to the designated place, request QRF if you do not have people.
6. Destroy what is to be destroyed — drugs with white tape, weapons according to the section Weapons during a check.

Offenses committed on US territory are judged by EPSO — you only hand the offender over. An EPSO decision is final and it may impose punishments even without solid evidence. Do not impose fines at the crossing yourselves.

Tips from practice

Experience from past years that still applies. Most of it will save you time or embarrassment.

Person checks

• Use your head and judge how much the other person wants to play. Children and teenagers also come to the crossing — take that into account. It is still just LARP, there is no need to search everyone with the hardest method at any cost.
• Undercover agents. Sometimes agents return from Mexico disguised as civilian population. Usually they tell you at the very start of the search that they are undercover, but they want the search to be done at least for show, so that they do not become suspicious. Do what they ask and play it out.
• Never take items from a hand. Let them put the items on the ground or on a table and stay out of reach.
• Ask for the name and address before you read the document — this reveals borrowed and stolen documents.

Vehicle checks and searching for contraband

• It is very hard to find something in vehicles — drugs are small in size. In the past we found them under the seats, glued to the engine or under the car.
• Motorcycles are a gold mine. Check mainly the space under the seat (most seats can be unlocked with a key and removed). We also found large amounts of drugs in the front fairing around the headlight — we noticed that the screws holding the cover had been screwed recently.
• Carry at least basic tools. Without a screwdriver you cannot remove a motorcycle fairing and the find will get away.
• Watch for traces: freshly screwed screws, fresh glue, a wiped dust layer, upholstery that does not fit.
• Do not forget the undercarriage and the wheel arches, this is what is forgotten most often.

Cooperation with the intelligence services

• Agents in the towers often call you over after a search and ask for information about the searched person. Sometimes they call you in advance and want you to find out something specific or ask for a more thorough search. Always cooperate with them.
• On the other hand, when you are not sure about something, these agents can often advise you — they have a better overview of who is who.
• The CIA operates in civilian clothing. Do not reveal them in front of the other checked persons.

Operation and people

• Rotate between positions and let part of the platoon rest in the shade. The "antennas" and the searching positions are the most demanding.
• Do not forget to drink. At least 3 liters of water per person per rotation.
• Try to enjoy it and make a good RP experience for the others. For many players the crossing is the only thing they will see of USBP — and it is the best place in the game to play a role.
• Sometimes, for a bribe, an eye can be closed a little, but we never wrote anything like that here.