Border Patrol agents, CBP officers still working the border during government shutdown

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (Border Report) -- During the first day of the latest government shutdown on Wednesday, Border Patrol agents and other border law enforcement worked the border without pay.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspected a steady stream of vehicles entering from Matamoros, Mexico, at the Gateway International Bridge, while Border Patrol agents patrolled up and down dusty border wall roads looking for anyone entering the country illegally.

The nation's 20,000 Border Patrol agents are considered essential personnel, who along with the military, CBP and U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement officers are required to show up to work regardless when their next paycheck will arrive.

“Rest assured that @CBP continues to report for duty and protect America 24/7/365 regardless of the failures in the Legislative Branch," CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement sent to Border Report. "The reality is that political gridlock in Congress forces thousands of CBP employees to risk their lives without pay, even as assaults against our officers have skyrocketed. The men and women of CBP stand the line regardless, but they should never be treated as pawns in political games. CBP will continue to do our duty: protecting America and the American people, no matter the politics in Washington.”

U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, who represents South Texas, says forcing agents to work without pay is unacceptable.

“People are going to go without paychecks this month, people like those in our community, such as the Border Patrol, custom agents, TSA officers, among many, many other federal employees. It's unacceptable that people won't be able to buy food to put on their table for tonight's dinner. Why? Because Democrats are playing games with the politics," De La Cruz said.

Throughout Wednesday, Border Report watched Border Patrol agents patrolling the border in the normal fashion and amount. They watched near remote areas of the border wall and in -- some set back as far as a mile south of the border wall -- along the Rio Grande.

In August, the Rio Grande Valley Sector encountered the most migrants on the border of any sector in the Southwest.

The Rio Grande Valley Sector in August reported 1,363 migrant encounters – nearly a 50 percent increase from the month before, according to the latest CBP data. It was the most of any sector on the Southwest border.

But it was still down 74% from migrant encounters in August 2024, according to CBP data.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is a senior member of the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, told Border Report that Democrats want to work with Republicans to reach a budget deal so these agents can get paid.

"We're trying to get the Republicans to work with us. But right now, they think they got the winning hand on this one. I don't know how, but that's what they think," Cuellar said.

Cuellar says that $90 million that Congress appropriated for Operation Stonegarden to pay overtime and expenses for local law enforcement to assist Border Patrol has been paid out to border states. However he is uncertain whether the funds were distributed before the shutdown began on Wednesday.

He said that an additional $450 million in funding for Operation Stonegarden was approved as part of President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, which he signed on Independence Day. However those funds, and other federal money, are currently frozen until the government reopens.