Cowboys, fighter jets and US Border Patrol – inside Trump’s big recruitment drive

He finds the sense of patriotism and camaraderie to be attractive, as well as “trying to make a difference for your own country… and trying to do something yourself”.

The teen adds that “most” of his male friends and contemporaries are considering careers in the military or similar – and recent recruitment numbers back up that surge in interest.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol received 34,650 applications between January and April 2025 – a 44% increase over the same four-month period in 2024. DHS credits the “historic spike” to Trump administration policies and has received significant funding for incentives.

Potential recruits left the tent with flyers advertising signing bonuses of up to $60,000 and salaries starting at $50,741, which can climb as high as $110,563.

Weeks before the rodeo, an Army veteran at another Colorado Springs Border Patrol event outlined similar motivations for exploring joining up. Mike, 40, feels “stagnant” in his current job as a corrections officer and misses the sense of “belonging” he had in the military.

“Even though I hung up my uniform, I never stopped serving, and I just feel like I have this duty to protect the citizens of the country,” he said, adding that he liked the idea of securing US borders.

“I see a lot of things on the news… people just not being nice, human trafficking, drugs being smuggled in,” he said.

He says he’s drawn to Border Patrol over an agency like ICE.

“Instead of just deporting people, I want to actually know that I’m protecting the country.”

But Border Patrol must compete for new recruits with their counterparts from Space Force and the Air Force National Guard – the latter of which trotted out a trampoline that drew great interest from the crowd.

Space Force, which was created by Trump in 2019, is tasked with securing US interests “in, from and to space”. It has also been in the midst of a recruitment surge, surpassing targets.

“The service is looking to double in size over the next five years,” a spokesperson told BBC News. In February, Space Force exceeded their annual recruitment goal by 125%, they said.