Overview
- CBP reported this spring that 21,471 Border Patrol agents are now serving, the highest total in the agency’s 102-year history.
- The department credits expedited hiring, competitive pay and signing bonuses of up to about $60,000 in eligible locations for the surge in applicants and large trainee classes.
- DHS says it has removed nearly 900,000 noncitizens who entered the U.S. illegally since President Trump took office in January 2025, a figure officials cite alongside the staffing gains.
- Agency leaders say retention reforms and targeted bonuses followed an earlier period of high attrition and reported mental-health crises among agents, and officials are shifting some funds toward keeping experienced staff.
- Republican-led congressional measures have provided the bulk of new funding for CBP hiring and programs, with reporting naming multibillion-dollar bills that officials say underwrite continued recruitment and the push toward 25,000 agents.