Steven Seagal Sworn in to Texas Border Patrol, For Real

Actor-musician-martial arts expert-reality TV lawman Steven Seagal is adding a new credit to his offscreen resume: Sheriff's deputy. Yes, this is real, even if it seems like a page taken right out of, say, Machete. The 59-year-old Seagal reportedly rang the West Texas' Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office months ago for the position and "will be working full time to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border." This is the world we live in. Details after the jump.

Deputy Seagal reports for duty in the new year, according to the San Antonio Express (via EW), and his new bosses are taking him very seriously:

"It became very clear to me that Mr. Seagal is not in this for the celebrity or the publicity," Sheriff Arvin West said. "He's like the rest of us that live down here; he has a sincere passion for his country and he wants to do more to help."

"He got really a taste of what we go through down here," department spokesman Gary Fleming said. "We ran about 50 miles of the border and Deputy Seagal got a chance to meet the community and where he's going to be working."

An advance team went out first, of course, Fleming said, to make sure things weren't too hot for the new deputy's inaugural day.

Above, Seagal poses with what I assume to be his sheriff's office-issued weaponry, with Sheriff Arvin West. Go ahead and caption it in the comments below, since my mind is still reeling from the insanity.

[San Antonio Express, EW]

[Photo credit: Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department]