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Border Patrol Boosts Graduation Rate NewsMax.com Wires WASHINGTON -- The Border Patrol on Thursday graduated a second class of recruits within a week for the first time, days after National Guard troops began leaving the U.S.-Mexico border. The Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, N.M., produced 39 graduates Monday and 36 more Thursday, part of a plan to add 6,000 agents by the end of the year for a total of about 18,000. There are about 14,000 agents now. The new graduates will be sent to five sectors - San Diego; El Paso and Laredo in Texas; and Tucson and Yuma in Arizona. About 6,000 Guard members have been on the border since last May when they were deployed by President Bush to back up the Border Patrol until more agents could be hired. The planned troop reductions began July 15. Officials want to cut their numbers in half by Sept. 1. "It's been a huge success and continues to be a huge success," said Maj. David Kolarik, National Guard spokesman. The deployments were seen by some as an election year move to show Republicans in Congress that Bush was committed to stemming illegal immigration. Story Continues Below
Michael Friel, a Customs and Border Patrol spokesman, said the agency must receive 30 applications for every agent the Border Patrol wants to hire to get enough recruits. T.J. Bonner, Border Patrol union president, said Guard troops have been a temporary fix for the border and their departure is "not going to drastically diminish the effectiveness of the Border Patrol." He believes Border Patrol should have 25,000 to 30,000 agents. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., sent a letter to Bush this week asking him to keep troops on the border until more Border Patrol agents are trained and assigned.
© 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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