Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

National Security & Defense

Showing Original Post only (View all)

Eugene

(62,832 posts)
Fri Jan 19, 2018, 09:47 AM Jan 2018

U.S. customs agency is so short-staffed, it's sending officers from airports to the Mexican border [View all]

Source: Washington Post

U.S. customs agency is so short-staffed, it’s sending officers from airports to the Mexican border

By Nick Miroff January 19 at 8:23 AM

While lawmakers this week argued over the merits of President Trump’s $18 billion border wall and a potential government shutdown, the federal officers tasked with stopping drugs and terrorists from entering the country faced a different threat: exhaustion.

An acute staffing shortage of customs officers at the border has gotten so dire that the government this month began pulling screeners from U.S. airports and reassigning them to southern Arizona on an emergency basis.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has deployed 175 officers to the agency’s Tucson sector through at least March, according to union officials who say CBP officers are being routinely asked to work back-to-back eight-hour shifts to make up for the staffing shortfalls.

“They are supposed to do their job with the same mental clarity and acuity,” said Anthony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 25,000 CBP employees, “but when you work 16-hour days, days on end, it’s a pretty difficult thing to do.”

-snip-


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-customs-agency-is-so-short-staffed-its-sending-officers-from-airports-to-the-mexican-border/2018/01/18/44420a94-fc77-11e7-a46b-a3614530bd87_story.html
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»National Security & Defense»U.S. customs agency is so...»Reply #0