(NewsNation) — The elite Border Patrol Tactical Unit has joined the manhunt for Maine shootings suspect Robert Card as residents in Maine continue to be on lockdown while law enforcement tries to locate the alleged shooter.

Also known as BORTAC, the group has assisted in other high-profile cases, including the manhunt for escaped Pennsylvania inmate Danelo Cavalcante and the response to the Uvalde school shooting.

Headquartered at Fort Bliss in Texas, the highly-trained group deploys across the country to assist other agencies. Members must work as Border Patrol agents for three years before being eligible to join the highly selective group, which undergoes intense training.

One tool at the group’s disposal is a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois named Yoda, who was responsible for subduing Cavalcante. A convicted murderer, Cavalcante escaped from a Pennsylvania prison, sparking a two-week manhunt.

Teams located a heat signal connected with Cavalcante, and canine Yoda, along with other BORTAC agents, surprised the escaped inmate. When Cavalcante tried to crawl through the underbrush to escape, Yoda was able to subdue him by biting him on the scalp and thigh so he could be taken into custody by officers.

The group is often brought on to assist first responders but did come under criticism for its response during the 2022 Uvalde shooting. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz praised those in the group for putting their lives on the line and neutralizing the shooter in the wake of the attack, which left 19 children and two adults dead.

Multiple law enforcement agencies were criticized for the slow response to the shooting, with law enforcement officials waiting 77 minutes to enter Robb Elementary School while an active shooter was present.

BORTAC was initially praised for quick action, but an investigation by ABC News found the team arrived within 20 minutes from the start of the shooting and, like other responding agencies, struggled to take quick and decisive action to end the shooting.

Equipped with tactical weapons and breaching equipment and aware the suspect was an active shooter, records indicated the team was present at 12:21 when the shooter began to open fire for what is believed to be the last time. However, agents did not breach the classroom until 12:50, when they killed the suspect.

Much of the blame for the Uvalde response fell on school district police chief Pete Arredondo, but Customs and Border Protection was reported to be reviewing BORTAC operations from the school, which it said it would release when appropriate.

While the group has assisted with recent high-profile operations, it also has a long history. In the 1980s, BORTAC was part of the U.S. war on drugs and in the 1990s was deployed to Los Angeles during the riots following the Rodney King trial. BORTAC also took part in the 2000 raid that took Cuban child Elian Gonzalez from his extended family in Miami and returned him to the custody of his father in Havana.