WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) released the following statement to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Border Patrol, and honor the men and women, past and present, who have dedicated their lives to securing and defending America’s borders. The Border Patrol’s primary mission is to “detect and prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States.” Chairman Green will introduce a resolution, joined by the other 17 Republican members of the Committee, in honor of the agency:

“This Committee is proud to reaffirm its unwavering support for the U.S. Border Patrol and the agents who work tirelessly day and night to secure our borders and protect the American people. Now more than ever, these dedicated public servants, as well as their families, are faced with overwhelming challenges caused by the Biden administration’s historic border crisis and disregard of Border Patrol personnel. The stories these agents tell and the burden they have been forced to bear are unthinkable. Their courage and determination in the face of physical threats and the increasing mental and emotional costs deserve more than just our gratitude. That is why this Committee will continue our fight to give our men and women in green the support needed to accomplish their crucial mission in the field, secure our nation’s borders, and protect their fellow Americans.”

Cosponsors include: House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Vice Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS), Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Chairman Clay Higgins (R-LA), Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Chairman Dan Bishop (R-NC), Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX), Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology Chairman Anthony D’Esposito, (R-NY), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY), Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS), Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL), Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Rep. Dale Strong (R-AL), Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), and Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ).

Read the full resolution here.

Background:

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2) in May 2023. H.R. 2 includes provisions reported out of the House Committee on Homeland Security that support the mission of the Border Patrol, including:

• Resuming border wall construction
• Bolstering U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing
• Modernizing and enhancing technology
• Addressing Border Patrol retention

In Fiscal Year 2023, CBP agents put their lives on the line to conduct more than 37,000 humanitarian rescue operations at the Southwest border. In FY23, Border Patrol agents seized roughly 2,800 pounds of fentanyl between official ports of entry, nearly tripling those from FY21.

Over the past year, the Committee was grateful to have received firsthand testimony and insights from current and former Border Patrol agents, leadership, and their family members on the impacts of the Biden administration’s border crisis and the support needed for frontline law enforcement. It is essential that policymakers in Washington heed their words and act to support agents.

• From April to September of last year, the Committee conducted transcribed interviews with eight chief patrol agents and one deputy chief patrol agent responsible for the sectors along the Southwest border. These law enforcement leaders revealed many of the challenges they face daily as a result of the historic crisis at America’s borders.
  • Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez of the Rio Grande Valley Sector told the Committee that when agents are processing inadmissible aliens into the country instead of performing their homeland security mission out in the field, it “has a significant impact. I think agents, for the most part, want to be on patrol. They want to do the mission of border security.”
  • Chief Patrol Agent Anthony “Scott” Good of the El Paso Sector was asked about the operational challenges facing Border Patrol agents amid the border crisis, to which he responded: “There’s limited manpower dealing with large groups. We’ve got less agents in the field because agents are processing in the processing centers. […] And people with bad intentions can be mixed into those large groups. That can be overwhelming to any law enforcement official that could be in one of those crowds.”
• In September 2023, Mayra Cantu, the wife of a Border Patrol agent, testified before the Committee on the emotional toll the border crisis has taken on her husband and his fellow agents. She said: “A lot of duties have been taken away from our Border Patrol agents, the duties that they learned at their academy to do. Now they’ve been just diluted because of the simple concept of the border is open.”
• In March 2023, the Committee held a field hearing in Texas, with testimony from then-Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz. In this hearing, Ortiz detailed the strain on Border Patrol resources caused by surges of illegal crossings, saying, “I have nine Southwest border sectors […] five of those Southwest border sectors are experiencing a higher level of flow than we have seen previously, and that creates some unique challenges for us…That forces me to make some adjustments across the entire 2,000 miles of the Southwest border.”
• In a March 2023 Subcommittee hearing, Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) asked Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, about the morale of Border Patrol agents. Judd told him he speaks to agents on a regular basis who are leaving because “they know that they can’t do the job they wanted to do.”

###