The Biden effect? Border Patrol has lost a quarter of workforce since 2020 election
By
Anna Giaritelli
May 23, 2024 6:00 am
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The U.S. Border Patrol has lost nearly a quarter of its workforce since Democratic candidate Joe Biden beat incumbent Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, and some agents say it is no coincidence.
More than 4,000 federal agents have left the Border Patrol since October 2020. Twice as many agents have chosen to retire early compared to retirement rates during the Obama and Trump administrations.
In recent years, Border Patrol agents have lamented that the Biden administration’s immigration policy has caused a crisis that has sunk morale, but the new data provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that far more agents are choosing to leave than normal.
“The administration is so bad for morale,” said a senior Border Patrol official who was not authorized to speak with media and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “I’m not trying to be political. I’m just speaking facts. It’s become so political. Catch and release is demoralizing for agents.”
Matthew Hudak, recently retired second-in-command of Border Patrol, said work for many agents had become comparable to Groundhog Day, arresting illegal immigrants then releasing them into the United States rather than detaining or removing them. Hudak said it was humiliating for the federal law enforcement agents who had taken an oath to protect the country.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/3011397/the-biden-effect-border-patrol-has-lost-a-quarter-of-workforce-since-2020-election/
