Rep. Messer Votes to Streamline Hiring of U.S. Border Patrol Agents

Messer: Bill will encourage hiring of former law enforcement officers, veterans

WASHINGTON (Wednesday, June 7, 2017) — Rep. Luke Messer (IN-06) voted today on legislation to streamline the hiring of U.S. border patrol agents in order to improve border security.

H.R. 2213, the Anti-Border Corruption Reauthorization Act of 2017, would allow Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to expedite the hiring of additional border agents if the candidates are former law enforcement officers, military members or recent veterans who have already been thoroughly vetted.

Currently, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is well below its congressionally mandated staffing levels by nearly 3,000 officers and agents.

“Our border patrol is critically understaffed, putting our national security at risk and contributing to illegal immigration,” Messer said. “This bill is a common-sense fix to streamline the hiring process for more agents, particularly for folks who have already served our country.”

H.R. 2213 passed the U.S. House of Representatives today and must now pass the Senate.

Messer is also working on other initiatives to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the border.

An early advocate of building a southern border wall, Messer has called on Congress to fund existing legislation, the Secure Fence Act of 2006, that already authorizes such construction.

Messer has also authored a proposal that President Trump included in his budget to close a loophole that allows billions of dollars in Child Tax Credits to be claimed by illegal immigrants.

“Hoosiers are tired of our broken tax and immigration systems that continue to reward people who come here illegally,” Messer said. “These common-sense efforts help steer us back to rule of law, secure our border and finally address illegal immigration in this country.”

More information about this effort can be found here.