Management

5 things to watch with the DHS shutdown

COMMENTARY | The Homeland Security Department has already been at the center of unprecedented government shutdown history this year, here's why this recent lone agency impasse could be different from others.

News

Trump uses State of the Union to call for end of DHS shutdown, declares ‘war on fraud’

The president also promised to expand the type of retirement savings account currently available to federal employees to the general public.

Pay & Benefits

Still digging out from the last shutdown, DHS employees brace for more delayed pay

Employees are finding ways to save on commuting and child care costs, while DHS agencies say their operations are suffering.

Oversight

Amid immigration agent hiring surge, watchdog flags shortages on the U.S.-Canada border

Only 77% of surveillance specialist openings were filled at the end of fiscal 2024, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.

Pay & Benefits

Air traffic controller pay raise stalled by DHS shutdown

A House appropriations bill that previously authorized a 3.8% pay raise for air traffic controllers remains on hold as Senate Democrats continue to call for immigration policy reforms. 

Management

Public health workers are quitting over assignments to Guantánamo

The Trump administration's immigration policies have directed nearly 800 detainees to the U.S. military base in Cuba, but some officials from the U.S. Public Health Service tasked with overseeing their treatment are raising concerns.

Oversight

Watchdog flags gaps in Coast Guard’s handling of discrimination complaints

More than half of the incidents analyzed in the report, which looked back to fiscal 1998, occurred between fiscal 2019 and 2024.

Management

DHS officials implore lawmakers not to force their employees to endure more delayed pay during a shutdown

With the deadline nearing, leaders at the Homeland Security Department warn of long waits at airports and diminished disaster recovery if Congress fails to act.

Workforce

CISA’s acting chief says 70 staff were reassigned to other DHS offices in last year

The cyberdefense agency in turn received some 30 employees from other DHS components, while a “handful” of CISA staffers were transferred to ICE, Madhu Gottumukkala told lawmakers.

Oversight

DHS implies it will stop certain oversight investigations, senator alleges

A Homeland Security Department official stressed in a statement that the secretary has the authority to pause some inspector general inquiries.

Management

Super Bowl gears up for massive security operation

While immigration officials will reportedly not be present at the San Francisco game this weekend, a raft of federal, state and local agencies will be on site to keep the event safe from various threats.

Workforce

The tail wagging the dog: Snapshots of the public service a year into the second Trump administration

COMMENTARY | One year in, DOGE and the Trump administration have had profound effects on the federal civil service, but looking at the numbers, it's not always where one expects.

Management

Top Dems in Congress list ICE constraints they want in funding bill

Proposed restrictions on the agency include requiring wearing body camera, the removal of masks and limitations on certain locations where people can be detained.

Updated Oversight

Democrats ask watchdog marked by past controversy to expedite reviews of ICE, CBP

Misconduct allegations against Homeland Security Department inspector general Joseph Cuffari were substantiated in 2024, but President Joe Biden did not remove him.

Management

House Democrats call for Kristi Noem’s firing in rally outside ICE headquarters

Congressional Democrats continued to keep up the pressure on the Homeland Security secretary Tuesday in the wake of the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents.

News

2 CBP agents identified in Alex Pretti shooting

The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.

Management

Senate Dems demand immigration agents unmask, wear body cameras and carry IDs as shutdown looms

The lawmakers say the measures are needed to increase transparency and accountability within Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

Management

Lawsuit seeks to stop FEMA from cutting its workforce in half

Staff reductions at the disaster agency were put on hold last week, as it faced the recent winter storm.