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ARTESIA, NEW MEXICO - AUGUST 22: A sign reads "Flectc chemical agent range - Standard operating procedures" as U.S. Border Patrol recruits take part in a training scenario at the U.S. Border Patrol Academy on August 22, 2025 in Artesia, New Mexico. During the intensive exercise, trainees are sprayed in the face and must then open their eyes and identify objects around them before subdueing a mock attacker and calling for reinforcements, all while under the acute effects of oleoresin capsicum (CO) spray. They then go through a 40-minute decontamination process. The scenario is designed to prepare new agents for the disorientation, temporary blindness and even panic they might experience in a real world situation after being assaulted in the field, according to instructors. The arrival of Class 1291 to the Academy on August 21 pushed current enrollment to 1,014 trainees, the highest number since 2009, according to U.S. Border Patrol officials. Recruits undergo a six-month boot-camp style program covering physical fitness, Spanish language instruction, law and weapons handling. They also receive hostile environment instruction for scenarios they'll likely face in the field during their career as U.S. Border Patrol agents, most stationed at or near the U.S-Mexico border. The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress have dramatically increased funding for U.S. border defence and mass deportations, even as the number of illegal and irregular migrant crossings has reached historic lows. (Footage by John Moore/Getty Images)