Border Patrol Expands Chaplaincy Program to Support Strained Agents

The program, which trains agents as chaplains, addresses the emotional toll of enforcing U.S. immigration policies and frequent redeployments.

The Border Patrol has grown its chaplaincy program from 130 to 240 chaplains over the past four years to provide emotional and spiritual support to agents.
Chaplains, who are typically lay agents endorsed by their faith groups, remain in their operational roles while being on call to assist colleagues during crises.
Agents face significant psychological challenges, including survivor's guilt, addiction, family strain, and public criticism for enforcing polarizing immigration policies.
The program includes training in handling scenarios such as delivering death notifications, counseling colleagues with mental health struggles, and supporting agents after traumatic events.
Frequent redeployments, sometimes up to nine times in 18 months, have heightened stress for agents and their families, making the chaplaincy program a critical resource.