Fewer border agents in south

Redeployment: Federal spokesman confirms numbers on U.S.-Mexico boundary will be reduced in fiscal year that starts next week

By Jonathon Shacat
Sierra Vista Herald/Review
Friday, Sep 25, 2009

BISBEE — The number of U.S. Border Patrol agents that are deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border will be cut soon, while the amount along the U.S.-Canada border will be expanded, a federal official said.

On Thursday, Lloyd Easterling, acting media director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the planned changes will be implemented in fiscal year 2010, which begins next Thursday.

“We have been adding agents for several years and now have about 20,000,” he told the Herald/Review on Thursday. “Importantly, we also have added tactical infrastructure plus new and improved technology which act as force multipliers and allow us to expand our coverage area. Smart deployment of these resources allows us to properly evaluate and move resources where we need them to continue securing our borders incrementally so that we can get the job done the right way.”

During the current fiscal year, 17,399 agents have been deployed on the nation’s southern border, but that will be decreased by 384, for a total of 17,015, Easterling confirmed telling CNSNews.com. Meanwhile, the agents along the U.S.-Canada border will be increased by 414, from 1,798 to 2,212, he confirmed saying

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