Former President Donald Trump announced during a campaign rally in Prescott Valley, Arizona, that if elected, he would propose legislation to hire 10,000 new border patrol agents and provide a 10% raise for existing agents, along with retention and signing bonuses. This proposal comes after successfully thwarting a bipartisan measure earlier in the year that would have increased staffing at the border.
Trump had opposed the earlier bipartisan bill, claiming it was an amnesty bill that would have expedited the illegal entry of thousands of immigrants into the country every week. However, he is now proposing to hire more agents to address the shortage due to mistreatment of existing agents.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has said she would sign the bipartisan bill if it reached her desk, is seeking to position herself as tough on migration, taking a trip to the border in late September.
Trump’s increased focus on border security comes as a recent poll showed respondents ranking immigration and border security as the second most important issue in the 2024 election. Despite his previous opposition to the bipartisan bill, Trump is now pushing for more border patrol agents and tighter restrictions on asylum.
The National Border Patrol Council, the labor union for Border Patrol agents, has endorsed Trump for President, despite a previous endorsement for the bipartisan bill that Trump blocked. Trump’s recent anti-immigration rhetoric, including calling for the death penalty for migrants who kill U.S. citizens, has intensified his focus on border security as a key issue in his campaign.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com