CBP Still Not Meeting Hiring Goals Despite Changes: GAO

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on hiring at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency that’s frequently in the spotlight due to its mission of protecting U.S. borders and ports of entry.

The report found that while CBP is making progress in improving the hiring process, which includes offering financial and other incentives, the efforts are not fully paying off, as overall employment numbers remain short of goals.

“Over the last 10 years, CBP has frequently fallen short of its staffing targets for law enforcement positions, challenging the frontline workforce’s ability to fulfill the agency’s mission,” said the GAO report.

Staffing Analysis 

The report analyzed years of staffing at CBP’s three main agencies: the Office of Field Operations, Border Patrol, and Air and Marine Operations.

On the positive side: applications for CBP law enforcement positions increased from fiscal years 2022 to 2023 after generally decreasing from FY 2018 through FY 2022.

But that’s not necessarily translating into more workers, officers, or agents.

U.S. Border Patrol for instance failed to meet hiring goals from FY 2021 through FY 2024. Total onboard staff decreased in each of those years, even as the number of authorized agents jumped from 19,000 to 22,000. The reduction came despite Border Patrol managing to double its average annual hires in recent years, as attrition rates were higher. 

Meanwhile the number of CBP agents dropped the past year, after being stronger in prior years.

And while time to hire for Border Patrol agents fell from 403 to 316 days from FY 2017 to FY 2024, time to hire for CBP agents spiked to 578 days from 360, due to a backlog that has since been cleared. 

CBP also increased its applicant yield rate—the percentage of applicants who enter on duty—for all law enforcement positions. It went from 1.1 percent to 1.8 percent for Border Patrol agents and from 1.9 percent to 2.5 percent for CBP agents. For air and marine agents it rose from 1 percent to 4 percent.

Hiring Challenges Persist

GAO also noted several lingering challenges to CBP hiring. 

That includes an arduous hiring process with 12 steps that includes a physical and congressionally required polygraph test. CBP increased the applicant pass rate on the polygraph to 40 percent from 25 percent. GAO pinned that on the agency no longer deeming marijuana use within the prior two years as disqualifying. That window is now 90 days.

CBP was also applauded for moving its hiring process online and allowing applicants to complete certain steps concurrently.

GAO also cited low morale as a reason for sluggish applications as well as negative attitudes from the public on law enforcement. CBP was ranked 432 out of 459 federal subcomponents in the most recent Best Places to Work ranking.

GAO also noted remote locations as being a barrier, even as some agents were dangled bonuses as high as $30,000 for working in some of the remote outposts.