{"id":429601,"date":"2021-04-15T21:20:41","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T01:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=429601"},"modified":"2021-04-15T21:20:51","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T01:20:51","slug":"border-agents-report-being-overworked-understaffed-and-exposed-to-covid-19-during-migrant-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/border-agents-report-being-overworked-understaffed-and-exposed-to-covid-19-during-migrant-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Border Agents Report Being Overworked, Understaffed And Exposed To COVID-19 During Migrant Surge"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fborder-agents-report-being-overworked-understaffed-and-exposed-to-covid-19-during-migrant-surge%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=429601&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>Customs and Border Protection agents don\u2019t have the resources they need to effectively do their jobs, two active agents told the Daily Caller News Foundation. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Field agents are routinely exposed to positive COVID-19 cases and expected to return to work immediately after if they aren\u2019t showing symptoms.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Border officials work 50-hour weeks and are required to work 10-hour overtime shifts due to a lack of manpower. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Border officials in south Texas consistently face exposure to COVID-19, don\u2019t have the resources to do their job and are regularly called in for overtime shifts, two active agents told the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Many Customs and Border Protection (CBP) field agents work 50-hour weeks and now are required to report for 10-hour long overtime shifts even after they are exposed to migrants who test positive for COVID-19, an active CBP agent told the DCNF. The agents spoke on the condition of anonymity since they were not authorized to speak with members of the media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCBP gives us a job, but they seem more concerned with getting the job done than with the actual agents,\u201d an active agent told the DCNF. \u201cThey want the mission to succeed. We don\u2019t have the resources we need to do our jobs but we make do with what we have. We don\u2019t have enough agents, transport, technology, or aircraft to help us out.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7170769\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"36\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7170769\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7170769 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-2134.jpeg\" alt=\"Customs and Border Protection officials work on processing groups of migrants arriving illegally in the U.S. in the middle of the night on March 26, near La Joya, Texas. (Kaylee Greenlee - Daily Caller News Foundation)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-2134.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7170769\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Customs and Border Protection officials work on processing groups of migrants arriving illegally in the U.S. in the middle of the night on March 26, near La Joya, Texas. (Kaylee Greenlee \u2013 Daily Caller News Foundation)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>CBP agents are \u201cdoing the very best they can with the very limited resources they\u2019ve been given,\u201d North Carolina Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy told the DCNF. CBP agents are taken out of field positions where enforcement actions are taken and reassigned to caretaker roles within the migrant processing <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/03\/30\/biden-administration-media-tour-cbp-migrant-facilities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">facilities<\/a>, Murphy said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve [CBP agents] been put in an extremely dire condition, they are trying to do their very very best they can and they do not have the manpower to try to keep our borders secure,\u201d Murphy told the DCNF after visiting a processing <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/04\/08\/greg-abbott-san-antonio-joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">facility<\/a> in Donna, Texas. \u201cAgain, they\u2019ve again been reassigned from border security to social work and thus leaving our borders open to criminal elements. They\u2019re very, very, very upset about that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CBP agents encountered over 172,000 migrants including nearly 19,000 unaccompanied minors in March, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/newsroom\/stats\/southwest-land-border-encounters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to the agency. Officials are predicted to encounter more migrants in 2021 than in the last 20 years, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/news\/2021\/03\/16\/statement-homeland-security-secretary-alejandro-n-mayorkas-regarding-situation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we get all tied up with the large groups we get a large number of got-aways,\u201d the agent told the DCNF. \u201cThen when an alien has to go to the hospital, they pull an agent out of the field to go with the alien instead of getting an agent from [a processing center], and agents get frustrated.\u201d <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/04\/07\/cbp-illegal-migrants-transportation-rio-grande-valley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: CBP Repeatedly Fails To Provide Transportation For Migrants Leaving Them And Agents Exposed For Hours)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Middle-level managers unofficially discourage CBP agents from tracking got-aways by making the reporting process difficult, an agent told the DCNF. Agents photograph signs of possible got-aways such as footprints which are then compared to groups of migrants apprehended at stash houses or other interior locations to determine whether it\u2019s the same group.<\/p>\n<p>The problem with this methodology is that migrants could be wearing the same shoes so there\u2019s really no way to tell whether the group apprehended is the same one documented in the field or whether anyone broke off from the group, according to the CBP agent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s total BS,\u201d the agent told the DCNF. \u201cThen you hear agents talk about supervisors or watch commanders instructing an agent to lower the numbers of got-aways because that\u2019s too many, so agents get discouraged and don\u2019t report them anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7170771\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"36\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7170771\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7170771 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-2135.jpeg\" alt=\"Customs and Border Protection officials work on processing groups of migrants arriving illegally in the U.S. in the middle of the night on March 26, near La Joya, Texas. (Kaylee Greenlee - Daily Caller News Foundation)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-2135.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-2-1-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-2-1-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-2-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-2-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/COPYRIGHT_DCNF_KAYLEECGREENLEE2020-1-3-copy-2-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7170771\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Customs and Border Protection officials work on processing groups of migrants arriving illegally in the U.S. in the middle of the night on March 26, near La Joya, Texas. (Kaylee Greenlee \u2013 Daily Caller News Foundation)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A CBP intelligence official will interview any <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/04\/06\/cbp-wont-say-how-many-illegal-migrants-are-released-without-scheduled-court-dates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">migrants<\/a> who are encountered to try and determine if they were in the location the signs were documented and then deduct those migrants from the got-away total if they find they crossed the area where the signs were seen, a CBP agent told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>If a CBP agent is exposed to a positive case of COVID-19 while wearing a mask and gloves it\u2019s considered a low-risk exposure, an agent told the DCNF. The agent is expected to return to work despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/vaccines\/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">guidelines<\/a> to quarantine unless the person exposed is fully vaccinated and not experiencing symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll employees at facilities where an exposure has occurred are notified at the earliest opportunity,\u201d a CBP spokesperson told the DCNF. \u201cEmployees with possible exposure to COVID-19 are provided with guidance based on the specific risks associated with the exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, CBP did not say how agents exposed to positive cases in the field are supposed to respond or what the protocol for those exposures is. Officials who are fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine after exposure as long as they don\u2019t develop symptoms, the CBP spokesperson told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re exposed and were wearing your N95 mask, it\u2019s deemed low-risk and [you] come back to work the next day. If you weren\u2019t wearing a mask or you had the wrong kind, it\u2019s medium or high-risk,\u201d a CBP agent told the DCNF.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> \u201c<\/span>Basically, they need the manpower and unless you are showing signs or symptoms, they expect you at work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another agent told the DCNF their managers did not provide them with any instructions after they were exposed to a positive COVID-19 case when transporting a migrant boy to a hospital. \u201cMy supervisor wanted me to come in [to work],\u201d shortly after the exposure, the agent told the DCNF. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/04\/02\/illegal-migrant-got-aways-cbp-1000-daily\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Around 1,000 Illegal Migrants Evading Overwhelmed Border Officials Daily)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have been vaccinated but only because I went on my own. Our work did nothing to help us get it,\u201d the agent told the DCNF. The agent added they are issued new N95 masks and other personal protection equipment daily, but that they have to remove the mask to drink water and sometimes because they can\u2019t breathe through it.<\/p>\n<p>CBP agents exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine for 10 days and self-monitor for symptoms as the CDC recommends, Murphy told the DCNF. \u201cThey should be quarantined or tested appropriately. I don\u2019t know anything about the policies of what\u2019s going on down there so I can\u2019t speak to the specifics,\u201d Murphy told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know they [CBP officials] do as best they can to quarantine individuals, to test individuals, at certain checkpoints and most of the agents self-admitted that they have been vaccinated, but they basically just do the very best they can to quarantine individuals who have been Covid positive and treat them with the appropriate medical quarantines and measures,\u201d Greg Murphy added.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Customs and Border Protection agents don\u2019t have the resources they need to effectively do their jobs, two active agents told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Field agents are routinely &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2312279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-2134.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Border Agents Report Being Overworked, Understaffed And Exposed To COVID-19 During Migrant Surge","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-429601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-2134.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Border Agents Report Being Overworked, Understaffed And Exposed To COVID-19 During Migrant Surge","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2312279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}