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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Ryan J. Foley

A Border Patrol agent died in 2009. His widow is still fighting a backlogged US program for benefits

Dying to Serve Benefits Backlog - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

When her husband died after a grueling U.S. Border Patrol training program for new agents, Lisa Afolayan applied for the federal benefits promised to families of first responders whose lives are cut short in the line of duty.

Sixteen years later, Afolayan and her two daughters haven't seen a penny, and program officials are defending their decisions to deny them compensation. She calls it a nightmare that too many grieving families experience.

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