EXCLUSIVE — Republicans have put forward a long-term response plan to improving mental health resources available to federal law enforcement at the nation’s borders following three Border Patrol agent suicides in November.
New York lawmakers, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and House Homeland Security ranking member John Katko, debuted legislation Thursday that would give Customs and Border Protection $138.6 million over the course of six years to overhaul how it approaches the mental and emotional health services available to its 60,000 employees.
“Our nation’s Border Patrol agents and CBP personnel are heroes,” said Katko in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner before the bill’s introduction. “Border Patrol agents and CBP personnel have been forced to contend with the traumatic human toll of the border crisis on a daily basis, all while facing unfounded attacks and vilification from within the administration.”
Up until November, 11 employees committed suicide. In a 15-day span in November, at least three additional employees took their lives.
The CBP Behavioral Health Act would require the Department of Homeland Security agency to hire an unspecified number of behavioral health providers and create a comprehensive behavioral health program that allows employees to get help at any level, from small issues such as trouble sleeping to serious concerns such as thoughts of ending one’s life.
AIR MARSHAL GROUP ACCUSES RIVAL COUNCIL OF ‘INSURRECTION’ FOR BOYCOTTING BIDEN BORDER DEPLOYMENT
The National Border Patrol Council endorsed the bill and said it represented “tremendous progress” in efforts to destigmatize mental health issues in the workplace.
“The scenes we experience on a daily basis patrolling the border are unimaginable to most Americans and have become dramatically worse and more frequent over the past two years,” said Hector Garza, NBPC vice president, in a statement. “The time has come for us to not only tackle the security and humanitarian disaster on our southern border but to also address the mental health of our frontline agents and employees.”
The bill would require CBP to set up an office responsible for teaching employees about mental health. The hiring of behavioral health providers, such as clinicians, would be covered in the $23.1 million allotted each year from fiscal 2023 to 2028.
To date, CBP has hired clinicians and operational psychiatrists as part of an in-house effort to prioritize mental health to the same extent it does physical health.
The bill also states that the CBP commissioner should make every effort to provide alternative employment opportunities similar in location and pay to employees determined to be permanently unable to do their jobs because of behavioral health concerns.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I am proud to work to ensure our brave Border Patrol agents have the mental health support they deserve,” Stefanik said. “Many hardworking Border Patrol agents in my district, who protect our northern border, have been forced in no-notice deployments to fight Joe Biden’s crisis on the southern border. This tears apart families and is harmful to morale.”
