Quick Hit:

The US Border Patrol has reportedly lost nearly 25% of its agents under President Joe Biden's administration, with a significant increase in early retirements. This comes amidst an unprecedented surge in border crossings, with over 7.6 million migrants apprehended since Biden took office in January 2021.

Key Details:

• The Border Patrol's 19,000-agent workforce has seen a significant decrease due to a combination of retirements, agents reaching mandatory retirement age, and resignations.
• Early retirements have doubled under the Biden administration, with an average of 529 agents retiring early since 2021, compared to an average of 257 per year between 2014 and 2020.
• Despite the surge in retirements, Customs and Border Protection maintains that its reduction in employee numbers has remained between 4% and 6%.

Diving Deeper:

According to a report by the Washington Examiner, The depletion of the Border Patrol's ranks has been attributed to a variety of factors. While the number of agents who have resigned has remained steady, between 600 and 900 per year, for the last decade, the number of retirements has significantly increased under the Biden administration. Twice as many agents have chosen to retire as soon as they reached the eligible age, compared to the Trump and Obama administrations.

This decrease in workforce comes at a time when the Border Patrol is facing an unprecedented surge in border crossings. More than 7.6 million migrants have been apprehended at the border since Biden took office in January 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics. Despite this, CBP maintains that its reduction in employee numbers has remained between 4% and 6%, even with the doubling of early retirements in recent years.

Some agents have claimed that the data reflects a decrease in morale within the Border Patrol. "The administration is so bad for morale," an unnamed Border Patrol official told the outlet. "I'm not trying to be political. I'm just speaking facts. It's become so political. Catch and release is demoralizing for agents."

Earlier this week, agents working on the US-Mexico border detailed how the challenging conditions are leading to a spiraling mental health crisis among their ranks. "We regularly see things that people should never see, like rotting human remains, abuse of every kind, babies and kids dying or dead," one veteran Border Patrol agent said. "Do you know what that does to you over time? You have to shut down a part of yourself to keep going."