Border Patrol Seeks More Female Agents

The U.S. Border Patrol is seeking to increase the number of female agents in its ranks to help with the influx of women who are in the country illegally. The agency has issued a job posting aimed at women only, with an application deadline of Wednesday. “This is the first time we’ve had a job announcement for female agents only,” said Border Patrol Agent Yesenia Leon, a spokeswoman for the agency’s El Paso sector. Just 5 percent, or 1,039, of the Border Patrol’s 20,824 agents nationwide are female. In the El Paso sector, 150 women work as Border Patrol agents, or 6 percent of the 2,500 agents in the sector. Leon told the El Paso Times women comprised just 16 percent of applicants to an October posting. The agency often needs more female agents for pat-downs and other processing measures for women detained at the border.