Close the INS Pay Gap

Despite the cramped seating and shrink-wrapped lasagna, getting paid to prowl the globe in the air sounds better than sitting in a 4x4, staring endlessly at the scab of turf between Imperial Beach and Tijuana. Yet Border Patrol agents are critical to U.S. security. So the Immigration and Naturalization Service needs to find ways to keep people from abandoning their posts to become sky marshals.

As the United States finds itself confronting international terrorists, INS Border Patrol agents, immigration inspectors and detention and enforcement officers are leaving in record numbers, often taking better-paying government jobs with agencies such as the newly formed Transportation Security Administration.

Since Oct. 1, about 2,100 of the INS’ 15,000 Border Patrol officers and immigration inspectors have left. By July 27, the Border Patrol alone had hired 1,598 agents but lost 1,506.

Joining the ranks of the INS is not easy. Applicants need comprehensive knowledge of complex immigration laws and regulations, a reasonable command of a foreign language, good physical abilities and a lot of common sense. They also must undergo rigorous training.

So far, recruiting has not been a problem. This fiscal year, about 75,000 people applied for Border Patrol jobs and 80,000 as immigration inspectors. Retaining experienced agents is another matter. Veteran agents say the main reasons for the exodus are low pay, little job satisfaction and difficulties in transferring from undesirable posts.

Moving the border to a more hospitable location would be difficult. Giving agents more money and recognition would not. Congress and President Bush have approved raises of up to $6,000 for many Border Patrol and immigration positions and have pushed the top annual base pay to more than $54,000, not counting overtime or extra pay for working in unpopular locations.

In a measure that has cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is calling for another increase for fiscal year 2003 that in most jurisdictions would give officers an additional $7,500 to $8,000 a year. The Senate and House should pass it.

These raises would only narrow the salary gap between INS employees and other government workers. Parity for federal employees doing similar work would close it. The INS is locked into an inflexible government service pay system, which offers 15 grades with 10 steps each. The new Transportation Security Administration offers flexible salary ranges. As Congress and the administration struggle to reinvent the INS, they should adopt a similar pay scale.