Vice President Kamala Harris has made promises to hire thousands more Border Patrol agents if she is elected, but this comes at a time when the agency has been losing thousands of agents. More than 4,000 agents have left since October 2020, which is twice as many as during the previous Obama and Trump administrations. The current Border Patrol force consists of about 19,000 employees, and the agency is struggling to recruit and retain new staff due to record levels of illegal immigration under the Biden-Harris administration, leading to a decline in morale among existing agents.
Harris recently released a campaign ad proclaiming that she supported the toughest border control bill in decades and pledged to hire thousands more agents as president. However, the beleaguered agency is finding it difficult to attract new agents and is even struggling to retain existing ones, with many choosing to retire early due to the challenging conditions they face. The agency has resorted to offering increased sign-on bonuses and allowing retired agents to reenlist in an effort to address the staffing shortage, but these measures may not be sufficient to overcome the challenges faced by Border Patrol.
Suicides among Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel, which includes Border Patrol agents, have reached record levels in response to the surge in illegal immigration under the Biden administration. The agency has had to hire its first suicidologist to address this issue, highlighting the toll that the current immigration crisis is taking on the mental health of Border Patrol agents. The continued increase in migrant encounters at US borders, both legal and illegal, further exacerbates the challenges faced by the agency and its personnel.
Border Patrol agents have expressed concerns about the potential impact of a Harris administration on the agency, with some indicating that they would retire earlier than planned if she is elected. There is a widespread sense among agents that the Biden-Harris administration has failed to support them and has instead demonized and criticized their actions. The lack of support from the administration, combined with the difficult conditions faced by agents on the ground, has led to a decline in morale and an exodus of experienced personnel from the agency.
Critics of the Biden-Harris administration argue that its policies have led to the destruction of border security and the importation of issues associated with illegal immigration. The failure to address the staffing shortages and challenges faced by Border Patrol agents has resulted in a situation where the agency is struggling to fulfill its mandate. Harris’ previous statements about Border Patrol agents have further eroded trust and confidence in her ability to support law enforcement personnel, leading to concerns about the future of the agency under her leadership.
Despite these challenges, Harris has made limited efforts to address the issues faced by Border Patrol, including a single visit to the border during her time in the Biden administration. However, agents who were present during her visit noted that it was a sanitized and rushed experience that did not truly reflect the reality of their work. Harris’s track record on border security issues, including a letter she signed in 2018 rejecting funding for new Border Patrol personnel, has raised concerns about her commitment to addressing the challenges faced by the agency and its personnel.
