U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recruitment initiatives led to the highest number of Border Patrol agents in the agency’s history. The historic staffing level is leading to a historic drop in illegal border apprehensions not seen in nearly 70 years.
In one of the latest efforts to raise CBP staffing levels, the agency’s recruitment team spent three days in Colorado Springs sharing information about border security careers with potential applicants. The latest effort in early July, like many other recruiting events across the country, began with an explanation of what the agency does, followed by recruiters explaining the numerous careers it offers and sharing a host of personal insights.
According to CBP, hundreds of attendees showed up to the three-day event, many of whom chose to apply for employment with the agency while there. By the end of the third day, more than 300 people had attended the expo, and nearly the same number of applications had been submitted.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The recruiting events have delivered remarkable results in raising staffing levels, following the $4.1 billion dedicated to CBP hiring in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBB) passed in 2025. The bill is at the core of President Trump’s vision for a more secure border during his second term.
In late June, CBP announced the United States Border Patrol had reached the historic milestone of 21,271 Border Patrol agents serving on the front lines of the nation’s borders. At the time, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rosario “Pete” Vasquez credited CBP’s recruitment efforts with the record-breaking staffing level, saying, “This record-setting achievement highlights the effectiveness of our recruitment efforts. We are building a stronger workforce every day, and our progress toward 25,000 agents will further enhance our ability to protect our borders and serve the nation.”
The number of Border Patrol agents on duty at present is more than at any time during the agency’s 102-year history. The number of agents was fewer than 5,000 in 1990 and rose sharply post-9/11. According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, in 2024 the agency experienced a significant staffing crisis with nearly 3,000 open agent vacancies under the Biden administration. The on-board staffing level for the first line of border security hovered around 19,300 agents throughout the year.
During the 2024 fiscal year, an understaffed Border Patrol arrested 1,530,523 illegal border crossers at the southwest border. In addition, rather than carrying out necessary routine patrols between ports of entry, many agents were re-assigned to process and provide humanitarian assistance to thousands of illegal aliens released into the United States to pursue asylum claims.
As of May 2026, the Trump administration announced 13 straight months of zero releases at the U.S.-Mexico border. As of June, the Border Patrol is on pace to arrest around 100,000 illegal border crossers at the southwest border during this fiscal year, an apprehension level not seen since 1968.
As Border Patrol staffing rises to support President Trump’s strict border security policies, fiscal year 2026 infrastructure projects added more than 60 miles of new replacement primary border wall, 25 miles of secondary barrier, and 17 miles of water buoy barriers. The combination of strict border enforcement policies, increased staffing levels, and continued border infrastructure enhancements is likely to lead to a further drop in illegal border apprehensions.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.