Former President Donald Trump unveiled a new plan to increase the number of United States Border Patrol agents. He made the announcement Sunday, Oct. 13, at a campaign stop in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
He said that if he’s elected, he would hire 10,000 new agents and boost their salaries by 10%. He also would offer a $10,000 retention and signing bonus to keep the agents currently on the job and bring in new agents.
“If Kamala gets four more years, the entire country will be turned into a migrant camp,” Trump said at his Arizona rally.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign denounced Trump’s plan. A spokesperson said Trump has a track record of broken promises and failed leadership on border control.
Harris said she would sign a bipartisan bill that would impose tougher immigration and asylum laws if she were elected president. The bill failed to pass Congress earlier this year.
Harris made a trip to the border in September backing tighter border restrictions.
Border patrol numbers
The Biden-Harris administration did have new lows for migrant crossings into the U.S. following new restrictions on asylum access.
The Border Batrol had around 56,000 crossings in July, 58,000 in August and 45,000 in September. That’s down from 250,000 at the end of 2023.
There are 19,000 agents employed by the U.S. Border Patrol. The Biden-Harris administration lost over 4,200 agents between October 2020 and April 2024 with individuals either quitting or retiring.
