DEL RIO, Texas (NewsNation) — As the Pentagon deploys more than 1,000 additional active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, bringing the total number of service members there to nearly 10,000, NewsNation received an inside look at a Border Patrol training facility in New Mexico.
Offensive driving techniques and pursuit policy methods have changed since the Biden administration, with Border Patrol agents once again being trained in PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuvers. The practice was scrapped during the previous administration after multiple fatal crashes in 2023.
Border officials tell NewsNation more than 2,000 trainees were not certified on offensive driving techniques from May 2023 to January 2025.
The agency is also the first federal entity to issue micro red-dot sights, or laser-sighted firearms, to all new agents.
“I believe when it comes to training the new agent, it’s our responsibility to bring them the highest level of training and send them to the field as prepared as possible,” said Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Eddie Cantu. “There’s very little room for error, if you know what I’m saying.”
“We get put in different scenarios where you have less than a second to make a decision,” Cantu continued. “And unfortunately, you know, we can’t get it wrong.”
The border agency stated that agents who graduate from the academy undergo at least 164 hours of firearms training, including threat assessment and precision training.
The agency also told NewsNation that it’s seeing the highest level of training applicants in 15 years. The academy is expected to have more than 1,200 trainees go through the program by the end of the 2025 fiscal year.
One of those trainees is a Green Beret who served for 11 years in the Army.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed with the training up to this point,” Jared Irrobali, a trainee, said. Specifically speaking, I’d say it’s the real-life scenario where we have role players providing feedback, both in English and Spanish, whether it’s in a tactical setting or a driving setting.”
“I think that live, reactionary instance provides a lot of feedback for younger kids who have less experience,” Irrobali added. “And even with my experience, I find it to be extremely helpful.”
The Trump administration will need to fill approximately 8,000 to 10,000 agent positions that were created under former President George W. Bush following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and are now up for retirement.
The reconciliation bill being negotiated in Washington also calls for an expansion of the force by 3,000.
With agency morale on the rise during the second Trump administration, Cantu said he’s confident they will get the numbers they need.