By: Jennie Taer, Daily Caller News Foundation
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd warned of a staffing crisis as migrants are flooding the northern border during a Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Tuesday.
Judd explained that the deployments of agents from the northern border to the southern border have diminished agents’ abilities to combat the crisis. The northern border only has roughly 2,000 Border Patrol agents patrolling the largest shared land border in the world, Judd said.
“If we continue to hemorrhage personnel, there is no way we will secure the border. We have spent billions on fencing, aircraft, and technology over the course of my career. All of these investments are important- and I want to thank you for it. However, we have not sufficiently invested in our agents, which are the most important element in border security,” Judd said.
Border Patrol agents stationed in the Swanton sector in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York have recently recorded an 846% increase in apprehensions of illegal migrants.
“Last year, Border Patrol apprehended over 2,000 people along the northern border. However, because we lack the personnel and situational awareness on the northern border, and due to the forced deployment of Agents stationed on the northern border down to the southern border- in response to President Biden’s border crisis- we are apprehending only a small fraction of illegal crossings,” Judd said.
“Border Patrol staffing currently hovers around 19,300 Agents nationwide. In February, Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin testified before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee that Border Patrol needs at least 22,000 Agents to deal with the current crisis,” Judd said.
Related Story: Border Patrol Union: ‘Failing’ Biden Policies, Hardships Result in 17 Suicides in ’22
