Letter to the Editor: Eagle Pass NTEU Chapter 178 Requests Congress to Provide Tools Needed to Protect U.S.–Mexico Border and Keep America Safe

In my role as president of Chapter 178 of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), I see firsthand, every day, how federal employees remain dedicated to their jobs, even while Congress considers cutting their pay, their retirement and their jobs. The employees of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection who work at airports, seaports and land border crossings, including (Eagle Pass Port of Entry), are proud of their work to secure the border and to bolster the American economy by keeping people and goods flowing in and out of the country. But we need more resources to do our job as effectively as possible. The staffing crisis at the borders is so severe that CBP Officers are being diverted from other ports of entry, leaving those locations even more short-staffed. Three years ago Congress authorized an additional 2,000 CBP Officer positions, but they still have not all been filled. The members of NTEU Chapter 178 who work for the CBP stand ready to carry out our duties as proud members of the civil service, and we ask Congress and the public to support our mission by giving us the tools we need to protect the border and keep America safe.

Thank you,

Miguel Flores
President
NTEU Chapter 178
Eagle Pass, TX