Former President Donald Trump unveiled a new plan Sunday to bolster US Border Patrol with 10,000 new agents who will be given raises and bonuses to keep them on the force.
The Republican presidential nominee said at a rally in Prescott, Arizona that if elected he would call on Congress for the funds that would bring on 10,000 new agents to patrol America’s borders.
Trump’s plan also includes giving the agents an immediate 10% raise, as well as a $10,000 retention and signing bonus.
Donald Trump plans to bolster the US Border Patrol with 10,000 new agents as part of his border safety plan. AP“This will ensure that we can hire and keep the Border Patrol agents that we need,” said Trump around leaders of the Border Patrol Union, which has endorsed the 45th president for a return to the Oval Office.
The plan would increase the number of agents by nearly a third, up from the current tally of around 22,000 Border Patrol agents, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump’s stop in the Grand Canyon State comes just days after Vice President Kamala Harris held her own campaign rally there without touching the issue of illegal immigration.
Harris and President Joe Biden have garnered the bulk of the flak over the border following record levels of illegal crossings during their administration.
Arizona has seen a large percentage of the tens of thousands of migrants crossing into the US in recent months. James Keivom
There are currently 22,000 border patrol agents working for the US. James Breeden for New York PostIn recent months, illegal migrant crossings have hit new lows for the Biden-Harris administration following new restrictions on asylum access.
The Border Patrol recorded roughly 56,000 crossings in July; 58,000 in August; and 54,000 in September — down from 250,000 at the end of 2023.
