Gallego Introduces Bill Cutting Border Agent Hiring Red Tape

Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is introducing legislation to streamline the hiring process for border agents.

Named the Border Patrol Recruitment Enhancement Act, Sen. Gallego's bill allows Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to waive the polygraph test for certain pre-vetted applicants who are currently serving or have previously served in a law enforcement or military capacity.

As Sen. Gallego's press release explained, the hiring process for Border Patrol agents is already stringent, consisting of 11 parts and taking up to two years, with only a small number of applicants being accepted. Moreover, the polygraph test is both unreliable and expensive, costing $2000 per applicant, and frequently gives false positives.

"CBP is stretched thin, and the hiring system is part of the problem. We're losing qualified applicants to red tape and delays," said Sen. Gallego, adding, "If you've already served in the military or law enforcement, we shouldn't be making you jump through unnecessary hoops just to serve your country again. I'm proud to lead this bill to help CBP hire border agents and port officers faster, cut bureaucracy, and keep our border secure."

The Arizona Senator's bill comes on the heels of his Continuing High-Quality Evaluations of Concerning and Known Persons of Interest through National Training Updates (CHECKPOINT) Act, introduced with Senator Rick Scott (R-FL).

The CHECKPOINT Act, as we previously covered, formally codifies the Checkpoint Program Management Office, which enhances agent training and monitors performance, interagency coordination, and data collection.

In May, Gallego appeared on Fox News to discuss how Democrats could work with President Donald Trump and Republicans on securing the border, saying, "What we need to establish as Democrats is that we do value a secure border, we do value sane migration coming into this country, and laws that actually deal with people that have been out of the shadows that can be calibrated to the situation at hand."