WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has promised tens of thousands of federal agents implementing its immigration crackdown that they will receive pay during the government shutdown.
Internal emails seen by Reuters confirmed the pay plan was communicated to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection staff on Wednesday.
This decision could cover up to 64,000 personnel across both agencies despite the ongoing government shutdown.
The move shields these personnel from financial hardship while they implement one of Trump’s top domestic priorities amid mounting public criticism.
The Trump administration has also committed to paying military troops and FBI agents during the shutdown.
The shutdown began on October 1 and has suspended salary payments for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Many federal employees continue working without pay because their jobs are considered essential services.
It remains unclear what funding sources ICE and CBP will use to provide pay to their workers.
According to pre-shutdown planning documents, approximately 97% of CBP’s 67,000 workers depend on annual appropriations that expired on September 30.
Similarly, 95% of ICE’s 22,000 workers rely on annual spending legislation that has lapsed.
ICE, CBP, the White House, and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.
The pay decision affects ICE officers and Border Patrol agents assigned to law enforcement surges in Democratic-leaning cities like Chicago.
It also covers customs officers fighting fentanyl smuggling, another administration priority.
CBP officials informed union representatives that a reclassification of funding sources would enable some employees to receive paychecks.
The agency’s published shutdown plan had previously specified these workers would not be paid despite being required to work.
CBP officials confirmed in an email that air and marine agents, border patrol agents, and CBP officers would be declared exempt from pay suspension.
The National Treasury Employees Union also notified its customs officer members they would start receiving pay.
Transportation Security Administration federal air marshals will similarly receive pay during the shutdown.
The National Treasury Employees Union and TSA did not immediately respond to comment requests.
President Trump has sought to punish Democratic opponents by freezing funding and laying off workers at agencies traditionally championed by Democrats.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the administration from carrying out those layoffs on Wednesday.
The shutdown has disrupted numerous government services from consumer protection to flood insurance.
A 2019 law requires workers to receive retroactive pay when the shutdown ends, though the administration questions this interpretation. – Reuters
