How many Border Patrol agents are there now?
When Bush took office, there were roughly 9,000 agents. By the end of October, there will be 12,300. “We do not yet have full control of the border, and I am determined to change that,” Bush said. Bush is asking Congress to pay for 6,000 more agents over the next two years. That would double the size of the Border Patrol since 2001. Q: Why is Bush sending the National Guard troops to the southern border? A: Those troops, to be initially deployed for one year, will help the overwhelmed Border Patrol until the new agents are hired and trained. Q: What will the Guard troops do — and not do? A: They will not apprehend or arrest illegal immigrants. That’s the Border Patrol’s job. Instead, they’ll operate surveillance systems, analyze intelligence, install fences and build patrol roads. Q: Are more illegal immigrants crossing the border or is there new intelligence indicating a terrorist threat? A: If there is any new intelligence, the White House hasn’t said so, and the stream of illegal im
