Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sent an email to agency personnel following the release of the Senate border funding bill to attempt to reassure employees, according to a copy of the Monday message obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 allocates $118 billion in federal funding for Ukraine, Israel and U.S. border security. Mayorkas emphasized in his message to staff that the bill would fund more than 1,500 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel, 4,300 asylum officers and 1,200 ICE authorities.
“All of you work tirelessly every day to keep our nation safe and secure. For too long, many of you have done this patriotic work without sufficient support and resources. It has left teams stretched too thin as demands have increased in complexity and intensity, diverting personnel and resources to address emerging needs,” Mayorkas wrote.
“We are listening to what you need to do your jobs and are committed to supporting you as you perform your duties with honor and integrity each day,” Mayorkas wrote.
Border Patrol agents and ICE officers have faced morale issues over the record flows of illegal immigrants at the southern border during Mayorkas’ tenure, expressing their concerns in previous conversations with the DCNF. Border Patrol recorded more than 2.2 million encounters of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in fiscal year 2022 and more than 2 million in fiscal year 2023, according to federal data.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, along with Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, vowed to tank the Senate legislation in their chamber of Congress amid criticism that it would still allow hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into the United States.
Mayorkas also faces a looming impeachment vote in the House following the Homeland Security Committee’s passage of articles on Jan. 31.
“While the proposed legislation doesn’t fix everything in our immigration system, it takes meaningful steps to address the challenges our country faces after decades of Congressional inaction,” Mayorkas wrote in his latest message.
Jennie Taer on February 5, 2024
