Former President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a new plan to strengthen the U.S. Border Patrol, giving 10,000 new employees raises and bonuses to keep them there.
The Republican presidential candidate said at a rally in Prescott, Arizona, that if elected, he would ask Congress to fund 10,000 new border patrol agents.
President Trump's plan also includes giving agents an immediate 10% pay raise, as well as $10,000 in retention and signing bonuses.
“This will ensure that we can hire and retain the Border Patrol agents we need,” Trump told leaders of the Border Patrol Coalition, which supports the 45th president's return to the Oval Office. ” he said.
The plan would increase the number of Border Patrol agents by nearly a third from the current number of about 22,000, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
President Trump's stop in the Grand Canyon State comes days after Vice President Kamala Harris held her own campaign rally in the state without mentioning the issue of illegal immigration.
Harris and President Joe Biden have received much of the blame across the border after record levels of illegal border crossings occurred under his administration.
In the last few months, Number of illegal immigrants entering the country hits record low For the Biden-Harris administration following new restrictions on asylum access.
Border Patrol recorded about 56,000 border crossings in July. In August, there were 58,000 people. In September, there were 54,000 people, down from 250,000 at the end of 2023.
