Border Patrol Agents’ Morale 'Low' With Only 12 Officers on Duty to Secure the Border Amid Migrant Influx
A U.S. Border Patrol agent wearing a respirator mask to protect from Covid-19 takes up immigrants' personal belongings after they crossed the border from Mexico on August 14, 2021 in Roma, Texas. Recent U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures show more than 200,000 people were apprehended at the border in July, the highest number in 21 years. John Moore/Getty Images

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has a force of roughly 19,000 officers. However, only 12 Border Patrol agents are reportedly patrolling around a 245-mile stretch of the southern border amid a historic influx of migrants.

Reports said it was the lowest-ever number of agents on duty in the area. Daily Mail reported that approximately half of the agents stationed in Texas have been pulled from patrolling the border as they were tasked with processing migrants in custody.

National Border Patrol Council vice president Jon Anfinsen told the Washington Examiner that "morale is in the toilet." Anfinsen said morale among CBP officers is low as they are not allowed to do their job.

He noted that it creates "this defeated feeling in everyone" when they were not allowed to do their basic job of patrolling the border and actively searching for people who have crossed illegally.

He added that officers are almost solely dealing with people walking up to them and turning themselves in, while some immigrants "who don't want anything to do with us" run away. That means thousands of migrants could cross the border undetected.

Border Patrol Agents Crisis

A former senior official at CBP also told the Washington Examiner that morale is tanking fast, adding that this can be seen in the simple statements made by agents. The former official noted that agents are just tired.

Anfinsen said this was not the first crisis that these agents have faced. However, he noted that this one has taken a significant toll on agents. Anfinsen said agents are already burned out, and "there's really no end in sight."

The migration influx at the border in the past seven months was the highest in the United States since 2000. The Border Patrol reported 212,672 migrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border in July, the highest monthly total in 21 years. Texas and New Mexico account for 60 percent of known illegal crossings.

Border Situation

Unknown suspects have recently used firearms to shoot several Border Patrol agents in Texas and California. Agents found cover from shots fired without any harm to themselves or others, Deming Headlight reported.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said agents would continue to provide security at the border and the public despite the recent shootings, which are being investigated by the Border Patrol and U.S. federal and Mexican law enforcement authorities.

According to CBP, Rio Grande Valle Sector recently stopped three narcotic smuggling attempts with a total of over 130 pounds of marijuana and more than 50 pounds of cocaine.

Agents working in Brownsville, Texas observed two persons illegally entering the U.S. on Friday afternoon. One of them was carrying a bundle of marijuana, weighing approximately 23 pounds.

On Saturday evening, Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station agents apprehended two people with two bundles of marijuana weighing more than 110 pounds.

Agents working in Roma, Texas seized two backpacks containing over 50 pounds of cocaine on Sunday night. Only the driver of the two vehicles involved was arrested.

The arrested smugglers are citizens of Mexico and Honduras. The cases were turned over to Starr County Sheriff's Office.

Meanwhile, the Border Patrol is also asking agents about volunteering to deploy to Afghanistan and nearby countries to process Afghan refugees seeking admission to the U.S.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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