Borders will be protected, even during a shutdown

There seems to be some misinformation in the media about what happens to our border security when there is a government shutdown, as President Trump is threatening if he doesn’t get his border wall funded.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is considered a mission critical agency. The men and women who serve this country (minus the technicians and non-critical office personnel) still report to work every day for the duration of the shutdown. All vacation and leave time is canceled for critical personnel and business goes on as usual. The only difference is that no one gets paid until the government is up and running again.

The dedicated professionals at CBP follow federal laws pertaining to immigration and other lawful entry into our country. They are the front line protecting us from would-be terrorists and other criminals. In addition, CBP performs customs functions making sure the produce, food, medications and over-the-counter items, pet and other products we consume and use do not contain harmful contaminants and meet federal guidelines for entry.

If you want better border protection, ask Congress to increase funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies to pay for new hires needed to fully staff these agencies. Ask Congress to increase base pay to match the private sector.

I recently retired from CBP, working in the passenger and cargo environments as an Agriculture Specialist. I did my best to protect our country every day, as do my former co-workers.

The next time someone disparages CBP and our sister agencies under DHS, like the FBI, ICE, FEMA, the Secret Service, TSA, etc., remember that we are doing our best to protect you and our country no matter what until the day we die.