Border Patrol agents are expressing intentions to depart from the crucial federal agency in significant numbers should Vice President Kamala Harris secure victory in November. Several agents have conveyed to the New York Post their inability to withstand another four years of feeling undermined and being used as scapegoats.
“I’m not doing this s–t again … four years of hell,” one agent, who isn’t anywhere close to retirement, told the outlet. Another added, “Lots of guys who can retire will go. If Trump wins, they’ll stay.”
On Monday, the National Border Patrol Council, representing the Border Patrol union, expressed strong support for the former president.
Sources indicate that the Border Patrol has faced considerable turnover and a notable decline in morale during the Biden-Harris administration. Since October 2020, the agency has seen a reduction of over 4,000 personnel, resulting in approximately 19,000 remaining employees, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
Efforts to address this issue, such as increasing recruitment bonuses from $10,000 to as high as $30,000 and encouraging the return of retired agents, have proven insufficient to bridge the gap.
Both Trump and Harris have pledged to enhance the Border Patrol, with the Republican nominee revealing plans on Sunday to expand the workforce by one-third, which would involve the addition of 10,000 new agents. However, several agents who spoke to The Post anonymously due to concerns about potential repercussions from their superiors suggested that if Harris assumes office, she may confront a significant staffing crisis within the agency.
“We will have another exodus just because we will have a bunch of 20-year agents saying ‘peace out,’” one agent told the outlet.
He is of the opinion that the more seasoned agents, possessing five to ten years of experience, who handle a significant portion of the agency’s foundational tasks, will leverage their expertise to seek alternative employment opportunities.
“Under this administration, they’ve done everything they could to make our job as inefficient as possible. They can’t outwardly tell us not to do our job, but when you’re watching criminals come in and get released it sucks,” another agent told The Post.
