With the Senate bipartisan border deal dead in the House's proverbial water, some are seeking their own solutions to the ongoing border crisis. Representatives Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and Greg Stanton (D-AZ) have introduced legislation promoting greater flexibility in Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) hiring flexibility.
Named the CBP Hiring and Retention Act (CBP HiRe), remote and rural areas would receive priority for hiring new CBP agents and employees, which are slower to receive new personnel. Such a need is given legitimacy by a 2019 report suggesting that it takes 400 days, on average, to hire new CBP personnel.
As a result, Rep. Ciscomani's bill provides the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with expedited hiring authority, recruitment, relocation, and retention bonuses, special pay authority for rural and remote areas, and eligibility for student loan repayments.
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In his press release, Rep. Ciscomani noted, "With morale, recruitment, and retention at an all-time low for CBP, it’s crucial that we send a message to Border Patrol that we have their backs. Whether it’s hiring bonuses or improved benefits, we must prioritize maintaining and bolstering the men and women in green who defend our borders day in and day out."
Similarly, Rep. Stanton was quoted as saying, "In conversation after conversation with Arizona border officials, one of their top concerns is manpower. This bipartisan bill will ensure that there are the boots on the ground needed to secure rural and remote areas of our southern border."
The CBP HiRe Act has received sponsorship from multiple Port Authorities, including Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County, Douglas International, and Greater Yuma. Other sponsors include Arizona officials such as Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, Douglas Mayor Don Huish, Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls, and Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy.
Such a bipartisan bill comes at a time when House Republicans appear to be unable to unify on spending and border security despite successfully impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) alleged that House Republicans want to keep the border an election issue for Donald Trump, which keeps others from using the threat of government shutdown as leverage, a position advocated by Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL).
