United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced a plan to increase the number of border agents. In fact, several million dollars have been added to the 2014 fiscal budget that will result in the hiring of more than 2,000 additional border agents nationwide. This change is part of a long-standing push to increase border security and efficiency.
CBP announced it will be meeting with agency personnel from around the country to determine which ports of entry will be allocated additional agents. The additional officers are being assigned on the basis of need at land, sea and air ports across the country. CBP has said that the 2,000 new agents will be assigned to various ports across 18 states, including several in the state of New York (Buffalo, Alexandria Bay and the John F. Kennedy International Airport area in New York City).
Although it has not been specified as to how many border agents will be allocated to which ports of entry, it is estimated that the region could see as many as 100 additional agents. This estimate is based on the number of entry points in the area and the high volume of visitors who frequent local points of entry.
While some of the additional agents could be assigned locally within the coming months, Customs and Border Protection said it will complete the process for hiring the new officers by the end of 2015.
More border agents mean fewer headaches and hassles for those trying to enter the country. Additional agents will also help to reduce ever increasing wait times at the nation’s points of entry. The additions to the fiscal budget also include allocations for additional training and technological improvements.
Customs and Border Protection agents have many responsibilities and are an integral part of the immigration process. To learn more about what CBP officers can do, read our blog at https://berardiimmigrationlaw.com/immigration-blog/authority-of-cbp-agents-oh-yes-they-can.
If you have any questions regarding crossing the border and immigration, please contact Berardi Immigration Law today for a consultation. Additional information can be found at www.berardiimmigrationlaw.com.
