Trump set to announce border plan with 10,000 new agents given raises and signing bonuses: campaign

Former President Donald Trump is set to announce his new plan to bolster the US Border Patrol with 10,000 new agents who will be given raises and bonuses to keep them on the force, according to his campaign team.The Republican presidential candidate, who will speak at a rally in Prescott, Arizona Sunday afternoon, vows to ask Congress for the funds to hire 10,000 new agents to patrol across America’s borders.

Trump’s plan reportedly includes giving the agents an immediate 10% raise, as well as a $10,000 retention and signing bonus, his team said.The plan would increase the number of agents by nearly a third, up from the current tally of around 22,000 Border Patrol agents, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump’s stop in the Grand Canyon State comes just days after Vice President Kamala Harris held her own campaign rally there without touching the issue of illegal immigration.Harris and President Joe Biden have garnered the bulk of the flak over the border following record levels of illegal crossings during their administration.

In recent months, illegal migrant crossings have hit new lows for the Biden-Harris administration following new restrictions on asylum access.The Border Patrol recorded roughly 56,000 crossings in July; 58,000 in August; and 54,000 in September — down from 250,000 at the end of 2023....