For the first time ever, the southern border saw over 2 million encounters involving illegal immigrants in one fiscal year. But while politicians and the media obsess over the Martha’s Vineyard airlift and other migrant movements, Border Patrol agents are left to carry out a near impossible task. Both political parties should be concerned with this truth.
The U.S. border with Mexico is just shy of 2,000 miles long. According to the Border Patrol, there are around 19,000 agents on staff. This may seem a formidable figure. Digging into the numbers, however, we reveal a major manpower shortage. Consider that these agents work shifts. The border needs 24-hour surveillance and manning, which further divides the workforce. After accounting for three shifts, the total available agents per shift falls to around 5,500 agents who must cover 2,000 miles. Note that other agents are stationed elsewhere, such as along the Canadian border.
Then there are the checkpoints to man. And there are those agents out sick, on leave, or assigned to miscellaneous details. Some agents are assigned to process the thousands of new immigrants who cross each day while others watch asylum-seekers. Put simply, a big part of the problem is that of logistics. Once all the responsibilities are accounted for, the Border Patrol’s manpower pool is stretched dangerously thin. At the same time, scrutiny from activists and lawmakers is intense.
We need to support the men and women who work at the southern border. It should not be a political issue. Indeed, even if you believe the border should be open, you should want adequate funds for the organization that processes incoming immigrants. If you think the border must be closed, you should support funding the organization that guards the border. New drones and surveillance technology help but do not solve the manpower problem. Whatever your position on immigration, our border agents are stretched too thin to do their job effectively.
Philip Reichert is a former Army intelligence analyst.
