Border Patrol sees 44% spike in applications after Trump elected: report

Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) recruits have skyrocketed after the election of President Donald Trump, after there were years of bad morale under former President Joe Biden and the border crisis, according to a report from the Daily Caller, citing an internal memo from the Department of Homeland Security.

According to the outlet, under DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, there has been a 44 percent spike in CBP applications from January through May as compared to that same time frame in 2024 under the Biden White House and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

While Biden was in office, CBP struggled to keep the border secure and there was even a surge in suicides of CBP agents as morale dropped in the agency. Over 8.5 million border encounters were seen under Biden as well as 1.7 million known gotaways. Hundreds of those who crossed the border during Biden's tenure were also discovered to be on the terror watchlist.

According to the Caller, morale was such a bad issue at CBP that the agency hired a "suicidologist" in 2021 when agents were killing themselves at higher rates. CBP's ranks ran thin under the Biden administration as record illegal immigration took place.

After Trump took office, however, there has been an uptick in performance at the agency and illegal border crossings and border encounters dropped off a cliff. The Secret Service has also seen a spike in recruitment, as well as the military,y as Trump has taken hold of the White House.

“For four years, the previous administration demoralized and denied resources to our brave men and women in law enforcement, including in the Secret Service,” A DHS spokesperson told the outlet. “We are reinvigorating the Secret Service and providing it with the resources our brave and women need to do their jobs.”