U.S. Customs and Border Protection met its goal of hiring 6,000 new Border Patrol agents by the end of the year, now employing more than 18,000 agents across the United States.
The goal of increasing the Border Patrol's numbers by 50 percent was made in May 2006 by President Bush, looking to expand upon the then-12,000 agents employed by the Border Patrol, a media release from the agency said.
The Border Patrol guards the Southwestern, Northern and coastal borders of the United States between the official ports of entry.
"I'm tremendously proud of all the hard work and determination put into recruiting, vetting, hiring and training these agents who will secure the nation's border," said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner W. Ralph Basham in the release. "I welcome all those who've joined our ranks and accepted the challenge of protecting the homeland."
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Having more agents has proved to be a deterrent to illegal activity on the border, as nationwide apprehensions have decreased by more than 44 percent since the hiring goal was issued, according to the agency.
Since June 2006, Customs and Border Protection has implemented a different approach in recruitment. Included in the approach are a recruiting Web site, hiring events across the country in under-recruited areas, advertising at U.S. military installations in the United States and abroad, among others, the release said.
The agency received an average of 3,500 applications a week, and online applications reached a high of 6,000 per week at one point.
Applications included those from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. More than 10,000 applications came from California, Texas and Arizona altogether, said the release.
