Report: Border Patrol looking to hire more female agents

Border Patrol

Women make up only five percent of the U.S. Border Patrol's 21,000 agents, yet last year the number of females trying to cross into the U.S. illegally rose by 173 percent, Fox News reports.

According to agent Yesenia Leon, having a female agent pat search another female is "not necessary... but it is preferred." Fellow agent Marcella Benson added that with more female agents, "we kind of are able to relate to a female [immigrant] a little easier than it would be for a male to relate."

By September, Fox reports, the U.S. Border Patrol plans to hire 1,600 new female agents, and 5,700 women have already applied. The hiring process can take months, and 13 weeks of rigorous training at the academy is required.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Teresa Mull