The El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) was established in 1974 in response to a study by the Justice Management Division of the U.S. Department of Justice entitled, "A Secure Border.

"[1] Recommendation number 7 of this study suggested the establishment of a southwest border intelligence center to be led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and staffed by representatives of that agency, as well as the U.S. Customs Service.

[2] Expanded in 1998–1999, EPIC headquarters lies within Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss military reservation in El Paso, Texas and is run jointly by the DEA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

In the pre-DHS era, the three main federal agencies at EPIC were DEA, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the U.S. Customs Service.

[3] EPIC is now staffed with over 300 personnel and liaison officers from 15 agencies.