Numerous Border Patrol Agents Exiting Due to Biden Administration: ‘Damaging Morale’

President Joe Biden is being blamed by some U.S. Border Patrol agents for the agency losing almost a quarter of its workforce since the 2020 presidential election, as reported by the Washington Examiner.

The Border Patrol, which consists of over 19,000 agents, has seen 4,281 federal law enforcement agents leave the agency between October 2020 and April 2024, following Biden’s victory in November 2020.

This number includes agents who quit, were required to retire due to age or years of service, or chose to retire as soon as eligibility was reached. Early retirements have significantly increased under Biden’s administration.

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that more agents are opting to leave than usual, with twice as many agents choosing early retirement compared to previous rates during the Obama and Trump administrations.

In the seven years leading to fall 2020, the agency experienced an average annual loss of 996 agents.

“The [Biden] administration is detrimental to morale,” shared one senior Border Patrol official with the Examiner. “I’m not trying to be political, just stating facts. It has become overly political. The ‘catch and release’ policy is demoralizing for agents.”

Matthew Hudak, who recently retired as the second-in-command of Border Patrol, stated that agents who pledged to protect the country are feeling humiliated by arresting migrants and then releasing them into the U.S.

One agent based in Arizona told the Examiner, “Under Biden, things are the worst they have ever been by far. Agents are constantly calling in. There is no morale.”

The dissension within CBP was highlighted in a leaked January 2022 video from a meeting with Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in Laredo, Texas.

Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax with nearly 40 years of experience in covering news, sports, and politics.