The number of suicides among U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees in 2024 is rapidly approaching the total recorded for all of 2023, raising significant concerns within the agency. So far this year, seven CBP employees have taken their own lives, just one short of the eight suicides reported in 2023. The agency’s worst year was in 2022, when 15 employees died by suicide, according to a report from the New York Post citing Dr. Kent Corso, CBP’s former “suicidologist.”
Dr. Corso emphasized the unique pressures faced by law enforcement officers, including those at CBP, which put them at a higher risk for suicide. “Law enforcement officers are exposed to a significant amount of death and loss. First responders encounter many more potentially traumatic events than the general population, which inherently increases their risk for suicide,” Corso explained.
He noted that it would be inaccurate to attribute these suicides to a single cause, pointing instead to a combination of factors, including the high operational tempo. “We’ve seen unprecedented migration patterns, and the nature of the world is changing, which certainly plays a part,” he added.
CBP, which employs around 60,000 people, including approximately 19,000 border patrol agents, has been under intense pressure as the immigration crisis on the southern border escalates. Since the Biden-Harris administration took office, over 8 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border, according to CBP data, though some estimates suggest the number could be even higher.
The ongoing border crisis appears to be taking a significant toll on the mental health and morale of CBP employees. Some agents have expressed concern about the psychological impact of their work.
“We find more dead bodies in one night than we used to find in a whole year, and nobody talks about it,” one agent told the New York Post. “Seeing all these dead bodies is taking a toll on the agents. I know this past week there was a suicide in the patrol, and I can think of at least two others in the past month.”
“When people ask me if I’m doing okay after finding another body, I usually just laugh and say I’m dead inside—just another day on the border. It’s sad because that’s kind of true. I don’t really feel emotions like I used to, which isn’t healthy,” the agent added.
Former Yuma Border Patrol Chief Chris Clem echoed concerns about the increased stress facing border patrol agents under the current administration. He highlighted how the demonization of border patrol has contributed to a decline in morale.
“When you’re part of a service-driven organization like the Border Patrol, and then you’re demonized or vilified by the highest levels of government, it can remove your sense of purpose,” Clem said. He was careful not to directly blame the Biden administration’s border policies for the suicides but acknowledged that the lack of purpose felt by many agents has been a “compounding factor” in the crisis.