House Committee on Homeland Security Urges DHS to Halt CBP Deployments

Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY) sent a letter to Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Operating Officer and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Mark Morgan this week urging the DHS to halt deployments to the southwest border as the region experiences a spike in coronavirus cases. The lawmakers warned that further deployments may place a strain on “already overwhelmed” local health resources.

In the letter issued Wednesday, Representatives Thompson and Rice highlighted reports that the CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO) has been directed to provide an additional 810 CBP officers to work at border checkpoints and monitor border surveillance cameras in the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo Sections for two 60-day deployments.

“We have also been informed that Air and Marine Operations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Department of Defense personnel are expected to be deployed to the two sectors in addition to the OFO deployment… The Rio Grande Valley and Laredo sectors are experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases, and hospitals in the area are approaching full capacity. It is irresponsible to send additional federal employees from across the country into a such an environment,” the lawmakers explained.

Representatives Thompson and Rice- who serve as Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and Chairwoman of the Committee’s Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations, respectively- noted that these employees will be traveling, sharing vehicles, and staying in hotels in areas with rising COVID-19 infections, thus increasing the risk of transmitting the disease among officers and the public.

To date, the letter indicated that six CBP port employees and one border patrol agent have died from COVID-19, while 1,355 CBP personnel have tested positive.

Furthermore, while the regions in question have seen an increase in individuals crossing the border in the last month, the lawmakers noted that the numbers remain “a fraction” of the migration levels seen over the past year.

The representatives requested the department immediately reverse plans to deploy additional personnel to the southwest border and encouraged DHS and CBP to implement policies that allow for “more social distancing in the workplace, particularly in areas with surging COVID-19 infections, and provide opportunities for employees to work from home while fulfilling mission requirements.”