Former President Donald Trump told Americans at an Oct. 13 campaign rally in Prescott Valley, Arizona, that he plans to address a shortage of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents by seeking to boost their pay.
“After I win, I will be asking Congress immediately to approve a 10 percent raise—they haven’t had one in a long time—for all ages, and a $10,000 each retention and signing bonus,” he said, while flanked by a delegation of Border Patrol agents.
In January 2024, Customs and Border Patrol outlined a series of new financial incentives to bolster recruitment.
Before proposing the pay increase at his Prescott Valley rally, the former president trumpeted an endorsement from the National Border Patrol Council.
Paul Perez, council president, delivered a brief speech.
“He has always stood with the men and women who protect this border,” Perez said of Trump.
The high-profile figures at Trump’s latest rally included multiple Arizona Republicans known for their tough stances on illegal immigration.
Crane co-sponsored the bipartisan Subterranean Border Defense Act that passed the House in September. The measure, which has been received by the Senate, would require Homeland Security to produce yearly reports on its efforts to thwart cross-border tunneling.
Trump advisor Stephen Miller and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake also appeared on stage.
His Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, stumped in Arizona last week. So did Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
“If you have a ballot, return it immediately,” Trump told the crowd at the beginning of his Oct. 13 speech.
While he and other speakers focused on the case for a second Trump presidency, other attendees had stories of their own.
In the halls of the Findlay Toyota Center, David Arbuckle cradled a little dog in his arms. The Aussiedoodle’s orange-ish ears flopped out from under a pup-sized Trump hat.
He’s named “Mr. Trump.” When he was young, his whole coat was bright orange, setting him apart from the rest of a litter born on President’s Day.
“Only orange dog in the litter,” Arbuckle said.
Arbuckle, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the New Mexico State Police, worries that a rash of unvetted border crossings over the last few years will give rise to terrorism in the United States.
100-year-old Vee Duurloo sat with her family near the press pen. She told The Epoch Times she hoped for “a few more years” of a Trump presidency. Duurloo felt she had to show up to the Oct. 13 event to support her choice for president.
When asked what has helped her stay healthy and alive for so long, Duurloo had a simple answer: “Good living and God.”
