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Border Patrol witnesses describe operational strain, deaths and morale problems at Southwest border
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Summary
Union and former Border Patrol officials testified that recent years strained field operations, citing large migrant surges, increased employee suicides, resource shortfalls and challenges retaining and training agents.
National Border Patrol Council leaders and former Border Patrol agents told the subcommittee that sustained large migration flows and policy changes shifted agents away from traditional law enforcement duties and created serious operational and human-cost consequences.
John Anfison, executive vice president of the National Border Patrol Council and former Border Patrol agent, said the agency’s work “shifted from that of law enforcement, to that of processing asylum claims,” adding that “we weren't there to do it” when people later were arrested for crimes. Anfison, who has served in the Del Rio sector, described specific drownings and rescue efforts, saying agents repeatedly relived traumatic incidents during internal reviews.
Aman Blair, a former Border Patrol agent and senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, described cartel influence and called the situation “a full spectrum national security failure,” asserting that the security environment could no longer be understood through a criminality-only framework. Blair said cartel activity and economic capture in parts of Mexico and rural Texas have produced “hybrid threats” that resemble coordinated corruption and territorial control.
Witnesses cited operational limits: Anfison told the subcommittee that the agency has about 19,500 Border Patrol agents and that “20,500 of them could retire today” (testimony noted many additional agents will become eligible to retire soon). He also said more than 50% of the vehicle fleet is retirement-eligible and that it can take an average of 403 days to order and receive a replacement vehicle. The union witness also described that FY2022 was the deadliest year recorded during the period he cited, and that agency employee suicides rose: “Since FY 2015, CBP has had a hundred and 1 employee suicides,” with a 50% increase in 2022 compared to a seven-year average.
Members pressed witnesses on morale and staffing across sectors, mandatory overtime and the need for targeted recruitment and retention measures. Several members and witnesses urged Congress to address pay, staffing levels and vehicle and equipment procurement to restore capacity.
