Why Some U.S. Border Agents Are Contemplating Suicide

This accumulation of the frustrations these agents describe has led to a mental health crisis in their ranks. In 2022, there were fourteen suicides among the Border Patrol’s 25,000 agents—nearly twice the number of suicides in 2020, and three times that of 2014. That’s more than double the percentage of suicides among all law enforcement agencies. And, according to several studies, agents suffer from poorer mental health than police officers and the general population.

As a result of the crisis, several congresspeople have introduced bills to fund suicide prevention programs for border guards. In 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the federal agency that oversees the agents, brought in Dr. Kent Corso, a suicidologist. He hosts a series of podcasts about suicide prevention posted on the CBP website, among other services. (Corso did not respond to several emails from The Free Press.)

But according to seven Border Patrol sources who spoke to The Free Press, most agents are unwilling to tell their superiors they are depressed or having suicidal thoughts, out of fear it will damage their careers.