An uptick in donations since President Trump took office has allowed the Border Patrol Foundation charity to deliver $1 million in financial aid grants for agents and their families since its creation in 2009.
“In the last year and a half, I think as Border Patrol gets a lot more attention in the news, people are starting to look at ways that they can help the agents when they need it,” said BPF Executive Director Shannon Staples, a former agent.
In response to the surge in donations, the foundation has been able to give more to the nearly 20,000 Border Patrol agents in the country, including in cases of on- and off-duty deaths, injuries, illnesses, family medical emergencies, special circumstances, and scholarships.
“Any time that we can assist, we try to as much as we can,” she said.
The nearly decade-old group also helps families who are victims of house fires, hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters. To date, it’s given $781,807 in financial assistance, which excludes the more than $300,000 it’s given out in college assistance to agents’ children.
“Hitting the million dollar mark in support to surviving families of the fallen, as well as Border Patrol families in need is a huge milestone for us,” the foundation’s president and former U.S. Border Patrol Deputy Chief Ron Colburn said in a statement. “It is gratifying to realize that good people in need, including the children of fallen law enforcement personnel, are well served.”
Historically, the death of an agent in the line of duty happens on average a little more the once a year. Since the Border Patrol’s founding in 1924, a total of 124 agents have died while on the job.
One of the issues families face in the immediate aftermath of losing a loved one is paying for memorial service and funeral costs. BPF sends $10,000 to the family of a fallen agent within 24 hours of his or her death. Staples said it’s meant to alleviate some of the stress in the hours following their loved one’s death.
“When an agent dies in the line of duty, it takes a while for all the paperwork to go through,” she said. “What we’re able to do is fill that gap in that short amount of time.”
The increase in funding has allowed them to fund other needs, including $315,000 in college scholarships. When a surviving child graduates high school, BFP will give him or her a $7,500 scholarship for the first year of school. Staples said it’s “not competitive, it’s automatic” as long as BPF is aware of the graduating high school senior’s plans to attend a specific college.
The rest of the allotted scholarship funding for the year is then put toward the competitive program.
Staples said the organization donated $6,000 in its first year of existence. Now, it gives an average of $150,000 to $180,000 per year. This year was higher than normal as a result of a higher number of requests for scholarships and family services.
Staples did not fault the government or Border Patrol for any shortage in funding to assist agents.
“The government does a lot for the agents and if you’ve spent any time around Border Patrol, you know the agents themselves treat each other like family so if something happens, the agents themselves will donate money to the families to assist. The Border Patrol Foundation, we’re designed to just be a second layer of support, to supplement the support they’re already doing,” she said.
Agents give to the organization out of their paychecks as part of a federal campaign, though Staples did not state how many individuals or agents give.
Eighteen national partners have signed on to give $10,000 a year to the group, including Deloitte, Leidos, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Motorola Solutions, and others. Staples said with more donors, the group expects to be able to help even more border families.
“As big as this milestone is, we have only just begun,” Colburn added.
