A US vehicle manufacturer that provides all-terrain vehicles, utility task vehicles, and snowmobiles to immigration authorities.
Polaris Inc, headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, makes land and sea vehicles for commercial, government, and military use. Polaris has a presence in over 120 countries and regions around the world and had a $7 billion revenue in 2020.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) uses Polaris vehicles to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border. CBP purchased Polaris vehicles and equipment under 41 contracts between 2005 and 2021. These vehicles include the Polaris Sportsman and Rzr all-terrain vehicles, the Ranger utility task vehicle, and snowmobiles. Some contracts specify where this equipment was designated for; for example, a 2014 contract was for terrain vehicles in the Tucson border sector in Arizona. U.S. Border Patrol agents use ATVs to patrol rugged terrain along the U.S.-Mexico border, especially in remote areas that are inaccessible to other vehicles.
Local police departments along the border also use Polaris vehicles to patrol the area; for example, in 2021, the Marfa Police Department in Texas requested state funding for a Polaris off-road vehicle in order to support the Texas border security plan.
In addition, Polaris provided the same ATV and UTV models to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under 8 contracts from 2008 to 2018.