Trump Pushes for 10K Extra Border Patrol Agents Amidst Troubling Turnover Rates

President-elect Donald Trump has announced an ambitious plan to recruit 10,000 additional Border Patrol agents as part of an immigration enforcement strategy. However, achieving this goal presents significant challenges.

Shortly after taking office in 2017, Trump instructed the Border Patrol to recruit 5,000 new agents. By the end of his term, the agency’s ranks had actually decreased by 1,084 agents, according to records from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

As it stands, staffing levels are nearly 3,000 agents short of a target set by Congress last year. “Despite ongoing recruitment promises, recent administrations have faced difficulties in hiring and retaining Border Patrol agents,” stated Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that attrition has overtaken hiring since 2021. High turnover rates can be attributed to demanding hours, challenging working conditions, and relatively low pay. A 2023 audit revealed that 88% of border stations were understaffed.

Recruitment efforts under both Trump and President Biden have yielded limited results. Trump’s administration initially entered a $297 million contract to recruit 5,000 agents and 2,500 related officers, but the deal was discontinued after it resulted in only 36 new hires at a cost of over $60 million.

The recruitment process is stringent; only 1.8% of applicants successfully complete training and begin active duty, similar to the Secret Service’s rate. In comparison, the acceptance rate for the FBI hovers just above 3%. The extensive screening includes polygraph tests and drug screenings.

Border Patrol staffing reached a peak of 21,444 agents in 2011, yet as of June, current levels are just above 19,000, falling short of the 22,000 target established by Congress.

New hires with no prior law enforcement experience can expect salaries from $48,809 to $87,838, depending on qualifications, while experienced former law enforcement personnel can command higher wages. Since January, the agency has been offering $20,000 bonuses for completed training and three years of service, along with an additional $10,000 for those willing to serve in remote locations.

During his campaign, Trump committed to offering a $10,000 signing bonus and a 10% pay increase for agents; however, details on whether this bonus would stack on existing incentives remain unclear. At a recent campaign rally in Prescott Valley, Trump remarked, “We have a tremendous shortage because they haven’t been treated correctly.”

The staffing issues pre-date Biden’s administration. When Biden took office, there were 19,740 agents—88 fewer than when Trump assumed office. Although over 3,500 agents were hired during Trump’s second term, more than 3,100 left due to attrition, as documented by the GAO.

This pattern aligns with an early projection from Trump’s first CBP commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, who indicated that the Border Patrol needed to hire over 26,000 new agents to achieve a net increase of 5,000.

Work-related challenges have contributed to this staffing dilemma. A 2017 DHS inspector general report highlighted rising suicide rates among agents and employee morale issues as significant factors impeding the department’s ability to fill vacant positions.

In a broader context, CBP recorded over 2.1 million encounters along the Southwest border in the fiscal year ending September 30. Although the monthly figures peaked in December, they have since dropped considerably.

Border Patrol officials noted that surges in migrant encounters often forced them to divert up to 60% of agents from border security roles to care for families and children, moving individuals to processing centers and handling administrative tasks.

Former presidents Biden, Trump, and Obama have each attempted but failed to bolster Border Patrol staffing. Under Obama, the number of agents fell from 20,119 to 19,437. During his second term, Trump has reiterated his commitment to reversing this trend.

“President Trump has pledged to ensure that border agents and law enforcement have the necessary resources to secure the border and protect our communities,” stated Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s designated White House press secretary.

The ambitions outlined in Trump’s policies necessitate a substantial increase in personnel. His proposed mass deportations would target over 11 million undocumented immigrants, a formidable challenge for the 6,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents responsible for enforcement activities.

Experts argue that merely increasing the number of Border Patrol agents won’t resolve underlying immigration issues. “A focus on more agents presents a narrow perspective on potential solutions,” said Allan Colbern, an immigration expert at Arizona State University. He advocates for comprehensive immigration reform to streamline processing and reduce backlogs that currently release asylum seekers into the U.S. pending hearings.

Colbern emphasized that improving the treatment and support of Border Patrol personnel could also enhance the job’s significance, enabling a more humanitarian approach to assist those seeking refuge.

Democrats typically align with this comprehensive approach, while Republicans place greater emphasis on enforcement. Earlier this year, at Trump’s insistence, Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill that would have funded the addition of 1,500 Border Patrol agents and proposed a $20 billion budget boost to staffing levels.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick from the American Immigration Council, who opposes mass deportation, echoed the sentiment that increasing personnel alone will not address the ongoing border crisis.