Alejandro Mayorkas from the Department of Homeland Security, who oversees Border Patrol, has laid out 19 solutions to improve working conditions following frosty receptions. Chris Magnus is the new Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.
Mayorkas also promised in a memo that he would push for more prosecutions against people accused of assaulting CBP employees in the course of their duties. This was an issue raised at a meeting in Laredo (Texas) on Tuesday.
Magnus stated to The Associated Press that “that’s something agents in the field would like to hear because assaults seem to be on the rise.” “We don’t just see people fleeing to the U.S. in order to escape harsh conditions. We also see drug cartel members, smugglers and other people who are actively involved in harm.
As President Joe Biden is criticized for his efforts to improve working conditions for agents, across the political spectrum has been critical of him over immigration. While he has attempted to reverse many extreme policies of his predecessor, he has been criticized for the border situation that could pose a problem for Democrats during the midterm elections.
CBP met migrants from all parts of the globe about 1.7million times at the U.S./Mexico border in 2013. This number is among the highest ever recorded. It was inflated by the repeated apprehended people from all over the world who were refused asylum under a public order that was issued shortly after the outbreak of the pandemic.
While immigration advocates have condemned the administration’s failure to repeal Title 42’s public health order, critics including Border Patrol agents say that a Biden policy allowing families and children to remain in the country and seek asylum has encouraged irregular migration.
Magnus stated that the agents and administration are trying to manage a complex situation.
In an interview, the former chief of Tucson’s police said that he has seen people who are facing political and violent conditions, making it unsafe for them to live and work. This was his first interview since Friday. We’ve witnessed, for instance, earthquakes and other environmental conditions in some places. Unprecedented levels of poverty are being witnessed. These are all things that, in many ways, are pushing migrants back to this country at high levels.
The Trump administration sought to address the problem of migration by increasing aid to Central America, and restarting a visa program that was discontinued under President Donald Trump. It also sought help from Mexico and other countries to assist in stopping or taking in migrants.
Some Border Patrol agents are becoming disillusioned as they spend their time transporting and processing people and not out in the field.
This frustration flared in Laredo when agents met with Mayorkas, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz and discussed morale. According to a video leaked by the Washington Examiner, Ortiz acknowledged that morale was at an “all time low.” One agent complained that he did nothing except release people into the United States. This refers to the practice of allowing migrants to remain in their homes while their cases are processed by immigration court.
Mayorkas stated to agents that he understood that the job of apprehending families was not what he had signed up for. He also said that the challenges they faced were increasing due to an influx from Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, and Cubans. One agent turned his back to the secretary.
Magnus has also heard similar concerns in meetings. He said, “It has been difficult for many people who spent most of the time or expected that their careers would be largely in the field, at the border.”
Because they are not publicly available, the commissioner did not specify which 19 areas Mayorkas wanted to see improvements in. A second official spoke on condition of anonymity and said that the internal plans include expanding the role for a new category of civilian employees. This will allow them to transport migrants to medical facilities, so agents can return their other duties.
Another aspect is faster decision making at the border on asylum cases. Agents expressed dismay that asylum-seekers are allowed to remain in the U.S. for many years while their claims go through a backlog of about 1.6million cases.
Magnus stated that he hopes to increase mental health services for agents, and provide additional resources for their families to help them cope with a stressful job that often requires them to move.
He stated that there is no one solution for morale problems at any organization. However, he expressed his appreciation for the difficult conditions the Border Patrol and CBP employees have had to work under.
