The U.S. Border Patrol in Montana recently commemorated its 100th anniversary serving the people and keeping our country safe and secure.
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to reflect on the challenges faced by these dedicated men and women and commit to supporting them in the future. While much of the spotlight falls on the southern border, Border Patrol agents in states such as Montana face unique and often overlooked hardships.
Border Patrol agents are grappling with severe mental health issues. In 2022, the suicide rate for Border Patrol agents reached a 13-year high. Border Patrol agents face an often-negative view of their jobs from their fellow Americans, work in remote and dangerous areas of the country, and often choose to leave their jobs for more money in other sectors. Underscoring the dire situation, about a quarter of the approximately 19,000 Border Patrol agents employed just before the 2020 election have since quit.
Though seldom highlighted in the news, the northern border presents its own set of challenges. Agents on the northern border contend with frigid temperatures and the harrowing task of encountering migrants who have frozen to death in their attempts to cross into the United States. The border in the north is vast and unforgiving and requires around 200 people in Montana to keep it safe and secure.
But despite the work they do in the north, it’s common for northern border agents to be dispatched to assist at the southern border. In a hearing last year, Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas remarked that he asked how many agents weren’t from Texas during a border visit and “literally, every hand went up.”
Rep. Gonzales went on to share that not only was Border Patrol forced to bring northern agents down to secure the southern border, but many agents made the trip multiple times.
We’re lucky as a nation that we have these agents willing and able to leave their families and do the tough work of border security. But sending northern agents to the south not only compromises the security of U.S. residents at the northern border, it also exposes these agents to the same stressors experienced by their southern counterparts.
The situation has become so dire that state lawmakers are pushing for more resources to handle the rising number of encounters at the northern border.
So how do we ensure our borders are secure, our people are safe, and our Border Patrol agents are supported? And how do we achieve these goals, while also ensuring that we remain a destination for legal migrants who want to positively contribute to our country and economy?
A commonsense approach to immigration starts with securing the border and ports, providing Border Patrol with the resources they need to do their jobs more effectively, and demanding that the federal government be transparent and accountable in its handling of the border crisis.
Additionally, reforming our immigration system to be clear and predictable would benefit Americans priced out of their own immigration system and facilitate legal entry for those who come to contribute. Instead of this, today’s bureaucratic system incentivizes American employers to hire illegally and migrants to try their luck crossing illegally. Many of these desperate migrants fall prey to and enrich the Cartels, who use them as human drug mules, or worse, in exchange for entry.
Polling by Americans for Prosperity reveals that nearly 90% of Americans support this multifaceted approach to the border crisis, with 89% supporting higher pay for Border Patrol agents and 92% supporting faster, more thorough inspections at our ports.
Americans are tired of the empty words and political gamesmanship in Washington, D.C. We want solutions that keep us safe.
As we honor the century-long service of the Border Patrol, we must look forward to the next 100 years. Those years should be marked by secure borders, a properly provided and appreciated Border Patrol, and a legal immigration system that works for hard-working current and future Americans.
Jesse Ramos is the Montana state director at Americans for Prosperity. Chief Chris Clem is a former Border Patrol agent with more than 27 years of experience.