Border Patrol agents' wives reveal 'devastating' toll their husbands' work is taking: 'It's not right'

close

Video

Border patrol wives share border crisis' impact on agent families

Wives of Border Patrol agents Alison Anderson and Ashley Di Bella join 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to share the impact of the border crisis on the families of Border Patrol Agents.

Two wives of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents appeared on "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Sunday to share the impact and toll that their husbands' work at the southern border is taking — not just on the men themselves, but on their families' well-being, too. (SEE THE VIDEO at the top of this article.)

Alison Anderson (at far right in the video and in the image shown below) said that her husband, a Border Patrol agent, recently had to act as "a first responder to an infant that was drowned in the river — and he desperately was trying to breathe life back into that little baby girl's body," she added. 

The Border Patrol later learned that the young child "had been brutalized and savagely abused — and, I mean, all he could think of in that moment was our little girl."

BORDER PATROL WIVES SHARE BORDER CRISIS' IMPACT ON AGENT FAMILIES

"We have — our [own] little girl, our youngest daughter, was the same exact age as this little girl that drowned in the river. And, I mean, it's devastating."

"Those are images that they [the Border Patrol agents] never forget — [the images] come home with our agents," she said.

Two Border Patrol agents' wives appeared on "Fox and Friends Weekend" to share the impact their husbands' work has been having on the men themselves — including the psychological impact of what they see and experience at the border. Alison Anderson is shown at far right; Ashley Di Bella is at far left. In center is co-host Will Cain.  (Fox News)

Said Ashley Di Bella, "The [things] that they see — they bring home. A lot of these agents do have families. So they get to see what goes on at the border and then they come home, and the only thing they can think of is what if their kids were going through this?"

BORDER OFFICIALS SEEING MASSIVE MIGRANT NUMBERS, LARGE GROUPS AHEAD OF TITLE 42'S END

Di Bella added — with emotion catching her voice as she spoke — "It's just hard. It's hard for anybody to separate that home and work … They see things at work, they bring it home."

Ashley Di Bella is the wife of a Border Patrol agent. She said that when the agents come home after work, "the only thing they can think of is what if their kids were going through" the issues they saw at the border.  (Fox News)

"Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Will Cain emphasized that this is a "very real" side of Border Patrol work that most Americans don't hear or see about very much today.

The number of encounters in the last fiscal year at the southern border indicate that "there is an increasing crisis" at the border, added Cain.

"They care about their jobs so much … But with these numbers, it's hard for them."

Commented Di Bella on this issue, "We've seen the influx in numbers over the past couple of years. It definitely takes a toll on these agents."

She added, "They care about their jobs so much — and they want to go out there and do their job. But with these numbers, it's hard for them to do their job and come home and feel like they've done a good job."

So far this year, 14 Border Patrol agents have taken their own lives, the program noted.

SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH: HOW 3 ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TURNED PERSONAL LOSS INTO SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS

Di Bella added that the crisis at the border is "staggering … It's a humanitarian crisis going on at the border."

Alison Anderson, wife of a Border Patrol agent, said agents "used to have an identity at work. They loved their careers." Yet now, she said, they're exposed to so much and are rendered "powerless" by the current administration. (Fox News)

Noted Anderson, "Things within the Border Patrol itself — it's gotten worse under this administration. I mean, the Border Patrol agents — they used to have an identity at work. They loved their careers."

She said further, "And this administration has basically subjected them to everyday exposure to death, abuse, disregard — and then they deal with the aggression and the non-compliance from the illegals in the detention centers and out in the brush."

"This administration has basically subjected them to everyday exposure to death, abuse, disregard." 

She added, "This administration has made them look powerless in the eyes of those that are breaking our laws."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

And "it's not right."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

To learn more, watch the video at the hop of this article, or click here to access it.  

This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).