Bill to address staffing shortages in CBP, Border Patrol approved by committee

A bill that addresses many of the staffing shortfalls seen at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stations was recently approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The Boots on the Border Act was cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and John McCain (R-AZ), and will serve as companion legislation for a House bill introduced last month by U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ).

Currently, there are more than 1,700 open positions within Border Patrol and more than 1,000 open positions within CBP. An issue cited in the bill was CBP’s mandated polygraph examinations for all incoming officers, making it the only agency that’s required to do so. The exams, along with the agency’s thorough vetting procedures, have resulted in approximately one percent of applicants being successfully hired.

To address hiring issues, the bill allows CBP to waive the polygraph examination for state, local and federal officers if they have served for at least three consecutive years, have statutory powers to arrest a person in violation of law, are not currently under investigation themselves, or who have taken a polygraph examination as a condition for employment with their current job.

The examination may be waived for federal law enforcement officers who currently hold a Tier-4 background investigation or Tier-5 single-scope background investigation as a condition of employment at their current job.

The bill also extends the polygraph waiver for members of the Armed Forces or veterans who have served for at least four years, have held security clearances within the past five years, or received an honorable discharge and have not engaged in criminal activity under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

“Putting more boots on the border is a key step toward securing our border and getting our Border Patrol agents the manpower they need to get the job done,” Johnson said. “Resources have been stretched too thin for too long and CBP has been hampered by frustratingly slow hiring due to bureaucratic hurdles. This bill will help fix personnel problems so we can actually hire the qualified people we need to keep our border secure.”