Border Patrol having trouble hiring new agents to work along US-Mexico border
Nov 26, 2015, 6:00 AM
PHOENIX — Federal law enforcement agents at the United States-Mexico border are short-staffed and they are having trouble filling positions.
The U.S. Border Patrol is currently seeking to hire entry-level agents and has been for quite some time.
“The process to get very good people is time consuming,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said.
The recovery of the job market mixed with recent public outcry against law enforcement has left the border patrol short staffed, according to Kerlikowske.
“If you are a talented Border Patrol officer, you have a college degree (and) you are fluent in Spanish, there are a lot of other opportunities out there for you,” he said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have proposed programs aimed at recruiting veterans and expediting the process of hiring qualified people as Border Patrol agents.
“With the Border Patrol, we are losing more people than we are actually able to hire,” he said.
Entry level positions with U.S. Customs and Border Protection are expected to stay open until the end of the year.
