Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 28
Like Tree13Likes

Thread: Trump’s ‘expanded’ Border Patrol is losing employees faster than it can hire new ones

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

  1. #1
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    PARADISE (San Diego)
    Posts
    99,040

    Trump’s ‘expanded’ Border Patrol is losing employees faster than it can hire new ones

    Trump’s ‘expanded’ Border Patrol is losing employees faster than it can hire new ones

    DAVID FERGUSON
    14 APR 2017 AT 08:37 ET


    Border Patrol agents line up in formation on motor bikes in the Tucson sector. (Photo by Josh Denmark/CBP)


    President Donald Trump has called for a massive buildup of the country’s border protection agencies, but according to the Guardian, the border patrol is having trouble meeting its current staffing needs, let alone hiring and training the vastly expanded force called for by Trump.

    At a national border security expo in San Antonio, TX this week, Border Patrol Chief Ronald Vitiello said that his agency is losing employees faster than he can replace them.


    “If you know people who are enthusiastic about border security please send them to Customs and Border Protection (CBP),” Vitiello said. “We’re already behind. We’re not hiring fast enough to keep up with the attrition.”


    The Border Patrol’s head of strategic planning and analysis, Benjamin Huffman, joked to an audience at one expo event that everyone present should submit the names of five potential recruits before leaving.


    Pres. Trump has ordered the agency to hire an additional 5,000 officers. The current force stands at 19,000 agents, which is 2,000 shy of goals set by the Obama administration.


    The Border Patrol’s hiring process is stringent and requires polygraph tests and extensive background checks. Then, once on board with the agency, personnel often live in rugged, isolated terrain, leading the agency to shed around 1,000 agents every year as personnel seek other work.


    “Some people just don’t want to live there,” said Randolph “Tex” Alles — acting deputy commissioner of CBP, a 60,000-strong agency that includes Border Patrol — to the Guardian. “Hiring challenges are not new. Attracting and recruiting high quality individuals is a challenge for us.”


    Former Border Patrol officials have questioned the logic of adding 5,000 new officers to the force. Hiring and placement will be expensive and it’s not clear that additional personnel will actually do any good.


    Adding to the agency’s worries is a planned addition of 10,000 agents to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which Border Patrol believes has the potential to decimate its ranks.


    “There’s a real concern that a lot of that will come from Border Patrol,” said Huffman to the Guardian.


    ICE agents have the advantage of living in more populous areas and they don’t have to pass a polygraph test, which around 2/3 of Border Patrol applicants fail, according to the AP.


    Nonetheless, morale is reportedly high at Border Patrol. The Trump administration’s focus on immigration and border issues has energized the agency and given it a sense of mission.


    “If you know people who are enthusiastic about border security please send them to CBP,” Vitiello said to an audience in Texas. “It’s awesome.”

    https://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/tru...hire-new-ones/

    NO AMNESTY

    Don't reward the criminal actions of millions of illegal aliens by giving them citizenship.


    Sign in and post comments here.

    Please support our fight against illegal immigration by joining ALIPAC's email alerts here https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  2. #2
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    55,883
    I hope more people apply for the openings so they can be filled quickly.
    A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
    Save America, Deport Congress! - Judy

    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  3. #3
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    PARADISE (San Diego)
    Posts
    99,040
    High turnover rate hurts Border Patrol

    SAN DIEGO COUNTY Agency left with many inexperienced officers as disenchanted recruits bail out

    Elliot Spagat, Associated Press
    Published 4:00 am, Friday, August 29, 2008


    Photo: DENIS POROY, AP

    U.S. Border Patrol field operations supervisor John Paisley does the daily briefing for border patrol agents during muster at the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 in Imperial Beach, ... more

    Law enforcement officers wanted: Must work graveyard shifts alone in remote towns along the Mexican border, put in long hours and perform well in triple-digit temperatures.

    That message is never touted in U.S. Border Patrol recruitment brochures, but the sobering reality of working on the border has created an environment in which about 30 percent of agents leave their jobs in less than 18 months.


    "This has complications up and down the line," said Richard Stana, director of homeland security issues at the Government Accountability Office. "You're constantly in a recruiting mode. ... If this population keeps churning, you're constantly training."


    The Border Patrol's struggle to keep new hires has become more evident as the agency comes close to meeting President Bush's target of 18,000 agents by the end of the year, up from 12,000 two years ago and double the number from eight years ago. The hiring surge means 42 percent of agents have less than three years on the job.


    Training costs high

    The GAO estimates that taxpayers pay $14,700 for each trainee at the Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, N.M. That 2006 figure doesn't take into account the many additional hours that senior agents spend training hires during a two-year probationary period.

    Money aside, a revolving door means a large percentage of the force will always be inexperienced.


    "You've got to fill the slots, but you want quality people who are not going to leave," said Jeremy Wilson, associate director of the Rand think tank's Center on Quality Policing. "You don't want to spend time and resources on someone if they're just going to up and leave."


    About 20 percent of Border Patrol employees fail to graduate from the academy, which lasts up to 95 days for trainees who need to learn Spanish. More leave after returning to their stations.

    Attrition rate rises


    The attrition rate for entry-level agents - generally those who have been on the job for 18 months or less - is 29.6 percent since October, up from 23.7 percent during the previous 12-month period and 22.7 percent the year before, the agency said.

    Senior agents tend to stay put, but the growing number of newcomers has raised the Border Patrol's overall attrition rate to 10.9 percent since October from 9.6 percent during the previous 12-month period and 6.7 percent the year before.


    Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove (Orange County), said the attrition rate signals a need to slow hiring.


    "The solution is to give the (Border Patrol) chief a bit of breathing space to find the right recruits," she said.


    Border Patrol officials said they are not bothered. They insist the agency's growth has made it easier to get promoted and more likely that new hires will get to pick where they want to work along the Mexican border.


    "In any job or any career, the first year or two you're learning whether it's for you," Assistant Chief Michael Olsen said.


    Culture shock


    The Border Patrol warns recruits that their first assignments are often in small, isolated towns, some with poor schools and medical care. The heat can be stifling in places like Calexico (Imperial County), where the average daily high temperature is 104 degrees in July.

    Some recruits get homesick. New hires must work on the Mexican border. After two years, they can seek transfers to the Canadian border or to Washington, D.C., but competition for those jobs can be fierce.


    "If you're from Kansas, you're not going home," said Quinn Palmer, a Border Patrol spokesman in El Centro (Imperial County).


    Mike Fisher
    , the Border Patrol's San Diego sector chief, had never been west of Cleveland when he got his first assignment in Douglas, Ariz. He was warned about the heat and the long drive to Phoenix, but no words could have prepared him.


    "It's a huge culture shock," he said.


    The high cost of living is a drawback in San Diego. A Border Patrol agent starts at $36,658 a year, though overtime can improve pay up to 25 percent. After three years, pay can climb to about $70,000 a year, including overtime.


    Boredom hazard


    Boredom is another job hazard. Agents in Imperial Beach wait alone in parked Jeeps and pickups, waiting for migrants to jump the border fence and make a run for the nearest patch of stores and homes.

    Darin Bowdin of Sacramento, who joined the station in October 2006, wants to be promoted to a special unit - like all-terrain vehicles, horseback, boat patrol or SWAT-style teams - but those jobs are off-limits until he finishes two years.


    For now, the 27-year-old says: "I've just got to sit my time on the line watching the fence."


    Kate Griffith
    applied at the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration but lacked experience, so she joined the Border Patrol in January 2007 after hearing a radio ad.


    "I thought it would be an opportunity to get in federal law enforcement," said Griffith, who likes her job but would eventually consider returning home to York, Pa.


    Strong recruitment effort


    Recruiters are going to extraordinary lengths to find applicants. New television ads show agents jumping out of a helicopter, climbing over boulders and riding galloping horses.

    In September alone, the agency will hold job fairs from Honolulu to Charleston, S.C. It is sponsoring NASCAR and professional bull-riding contests. Specialized teams focus on hiring women and African Americans.


    The Imperial Beach station has grown to 400 agents from 300 since October, with more than 40 percent having less than 2 1/2 years at the agency. Of the 100 newest hires, 20 have left, most before finishing training.


    Some are unprepared even after graduating from the academy, said Erich Haas, who trains new hires, known as interns.

    "When they return from the academy, the first thing I tell them is that it's going to be tough, lots of long hours," Haas said. "I've seen some interns realize after the first couple days that this is a different animal."

    http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...ol-3271441.php

    NO AMNESTY

    Don't reward the criminal actions of millions of illegal aliens by giving them citizenship.


    Sign in and post comments here.

    Please support our fight against illegal immigration by joining ALIPAC's email alerts here https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  4. #4
    Senior Member posylady's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    1,553
    My nephew applied a few years ago. You need college education at least some. There is a minimum of credit hours. You have to pass a rigorous physical test and written test. My nephew got his letter he passed. He would be stationed in New York City for 1 -2 years minimum. He would need to find his own housing the pay alone would barely pay rent on a one room apartment in NYC. He had a wife with 2 children. He passed up the opportunity. It is not all about just being sent to the boarder. He was told when he applied they needed people on the Canadian boarder which is local to the area he lived in and that is most likely where he would be stationed.

  5. #5
    Moderator Beezer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Posts
    30,908
    We already pay our Military...get them on a temporary assignment on the border.

    Do not detain...deport within 24 hours.

    Build the WALL...make it TALL...make it DEEP!!
    ILLEGAL ALIENS HAVE "BROKEN" OUR IMMIGRATION SYSTEM

    DO NOT REWARD THEM - DEPORT THEM ALL

  6. #6
    Senior Member Captainron's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    8,279
    With all of the money that Congress wastes this is one job for which they could pay more. When Trump downsizes other departments they can increase this one.
    "Men of low degree are vanity, Men of high degree are a lie. " David
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  7. #7
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    55,883
    Quote Originally Posted by Beezer View Post
    We already pay our Military...get them on a temporary assignment on the border.

    Do not detain...deport within 24 hours.

    Build the WALL...make it TALL...make it DEEP!!
    Yes, they already have weapons training, they're accustomed to rough terrain and harsh, remote conditions, and they know how to operate a lot of equipment like helicopters. We need lots of helicopters on the border.
    A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
    Save America, Deport Congress! - Judy

    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    7,377
    Quote Originally Posted by Judy View Post
    Yes, they already have weapons training, they're accustomed to rough terrain and harsh, remote conditions, and they know how to operate a lot of equipment like helicopters. We need lots of helicopters on the border.
    We have it all right here in Texas, anyway. We have lots of active military stationed in Texas. Many of these are seasoned personnel. We have air bases, army bases, etc.

    Some of those people are stationed right at the border already.

    I just did a quick check and we do not have as many as we once had,but we still have an air base in Del Rio and Ft. Bliss, in El Paso, and of course, Ft. Hood, which is not on the border - but could be used.


    Also, it could be short time rotation. They would not have to 'live' there.

    No, if we are gong to build a wall, fine - but let's not put everything on hold while 'cussing and discussing' the wall takes years to resolve - unless of course, that was the plan all along.

    I'm developing a lot of cynicism these days.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    55,883
    Yes, you do, so does New Mexico, Arizona and California. Get the National Guard down there today. In force, with all their equipment from these states.
    A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
    Save America, Deport Congress! - Judy

    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    7,377
    Just a little humor.

    I realize some people might not like living in Texas, especially on the border.

    There is a letter purported to be from a Union general while he was stationed in Texas, during the Civil War.

    He talked about the scorpions, snakes, cactus, heat, etc., etc.

    He ended by saying if he owned Texas and Hell, he would rent out Texas and live in Hell.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Trump's Plan To Hire 15,000 Border Patrol And ICE Agents Won't Be Easy
    By JohnDoe2 in forum illegal immigration News Stories & Reports
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 11-22-2017, 06:18 PM
  2. Border Patrol's expanded operation irking farmers (WA.)
    By JohnDoe2 in forum illegal immigration News Stories & Reports
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 10-15-2008, 05:36 PM
  3. Civil Air Patrol expanded with volunteers to monitor border
    By Shadow in forum illegal immigration News Stories & Reports
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-27-2007, 05:11 PM
  4. Border Patrol out to hire 6,000 agents
    By Jean in forum illegal immigration News Stories & Reports
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 02-19-2007, 04:09 PM
  5. Border Patrol to Hire 710 Agents
    By butterbean in forum illegal immigration News Stories & Reports
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 07-07-2005, 06:40 AM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •