The Arizona Republic

Border agents face low morale

Testimony: Negativity is due to pay, long hours

- Rafael Carranza Arizona Republic USA TODAY NETWORK

Morale among agents and officers patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border is suffering despite President Donald Trump’s support for their efforts, according border agents’ representa­tives who testified before Congress recently.

Leaders representi­ng more than 41,000 border agents and officers addressed a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Border and Maritime Security Subcommitt­ee.

They said the poor morale among employees at U.S. Customs and Border Protection stems primarily from low pay and long hours.

The Border Patrol has 1,900 unfilled positions and has struggled to retain agents, who last year endured a sharp increase in the number of assaults against Border Patrol agents patrolling the Southwest border.

“I fear that the level of violence we’re seeing now may become the new normal,” said Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents approximat­ely 16,000 agents nationwide.

“This is because the new primary drivers of violence, cartels and criminal aliens, are most likely going to get worse, not better, in the years ahead,” he said. “We need to focus our efforts on what we can change. This includes more manpower and ensuring that any assaults on our agents are fully prosecuted.”

The Border Patrol’s sister agency, the Office of Field Operations — which is responsibl­e for staffing the ports of entry — also has challenges with staffing. It currently has 1,100 vacancies. To make up for that, the agency in recent months has begun sending customs officers from other parts of the country for temporary assignment­s to areas with the most severe shortages, including Nogales, which is at the peak of the winter produce season.

Anthony Reardon presides over the National Treasury Employees Union,

which represents 25,000 CBP workers. Because because of staff shortages, customs officers work longer shifts more frequently, he said.

“I just heard a story this morning, in fact, that in one pay period we had a CBP officer work 73 hours of overtime,” Reardon said. Because of instances like this, morale is “dangerousl­y low,” he added.

“Where you have that happening and when it happens days on end, week after week, the impact on that individual in terms of that person’s health, the impact on that family, and ... the impact on the potential for maintainin­g high security in the ports for our country — it’s a major problem,” Reardon said.

Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., chaired the hearing. She asked union leaders about the effect of Trump’s push for greater border enforcemen­t and increased Border Patrol staffing on agents and officers.

“Do you agree that since the new administra­tion has been in office that morale has improved?” she asked. “At the higher level of understand­ing that there’s now a will and a desire to give you the tools to do your job? That you’ve been unshackled from restrictio­ns in the past?”

Union leaders agreed that the current administra­tion has taken steps they favor, but said the problems go beyond the president’s policies.

“It has helped, but it can only do so much,” said agent Jon Anfinson, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council and leader of the local chapter in Del Rio, Texas.

 ?? MARK HENLE/THE REPUBLIC ?? Morale among agents and officers patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border is low, according to border agents' representa­tives.
MARK HENLE/THE REPUBLIC Morale among agents and officers patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border is low, according to border agents' representa­tives.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States