By Noah Graff
(From the Archives Nov. 2006) TMW interviewed T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union that is part of the American Federation of Government Employees, about his dual role in thwarting illegal immigration while advocating as a labor leader.
Photo of T.J. Bonner, President of the National Border Patrol Council and border patrol agent.
NG: Hi, T.J. CAN YOU BEGIN BY TALKING ABOUT WHAT YOUR JOB ENTAILS AS A BORDER PATROLLER AND AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL?
TB: As a Border Patrol agent I’m responsible for securing the border, stopping everything that comes across the border. Obviously we’re not successful in that. We have millions of people in the country illegally, although it’s estimated that at least a third of the people or perhaps 40 percent of the illegal alien population in the United States are overstays. They come to this country legally but overstay their welcome. My other job, as president of the National Border Patrol Council, consists of the traditional things that labor leaders do – collective bargaining, representing the interest of the employee, as well as speaking on behalf of the employees in the media and lobbying on their behalf in the halls of Congress.
NG: ARE YOU ACTUALLY STATIONED AT THE BORDER?
TB: The Border Patrol of late has been consigned to the border. We have a few stations that are in what’s called the interior, but most of our stations are right along the border.
NG: WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME A BORDER PATROL AGENT?
TB: Seemed like an interesting job. I had an interest in pursuing a law enforcement career and had an application in with the Los Angeles Police Department. I was living in Los Angeles at the time, and had seen the Immigration and Naturalization Service special agents working in the same factory I was working in. They didn’t have any openings for criminal investigators but they did for border patrol agents. I entered with the thought of using that as a stepping stone, but fell in love with the job and have been here for 28 years.
