A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Thursday introduced a bill to establish a 2,500-member reserve border force and increase agents’ pay by 14 percent amid the crisis at the southern border.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced the legislation co-sponsored by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).
“This bill would create a 2,500 agent reserve force, increase the number of total Border Patrol agents to 20,500, and raise Border Patrol pay by 14 percent to be more competitive with other federal law enforcement agents, including other agents under the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the Senate committee….