SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – On Friday at midnight, the Department of Homeland Security’s funding is set to run out.
"This is one of those big topics is definitely like, ‘Hey, are we getting paid? Are we not getting paid?’” Derrick Arnold, NTEU 105 Chapter President, said. "We as a union, we try to find ways to solve their problems. It's absolutely heartbreaking.”
Arnold’s been a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer for 17 years and is the local chapter president of NTEU 105, the CBP officers' union.
These are the men and women who protect border ports of entry, prevent drug smuggling, and help maintain national security.
"I do know that there's a government shutdown coming up, and that is uh kind of devastating for them,” Arnold said.
That worry stems from the DHS funding running out.
"We just went through one, so they're still recovering from the effects of that,” Arnold said.
This isn't the first time in recent months that CBP officers are preparing not to be paid.
“We're trying to partner up with a food bank, because, you know, people come to us, and they're like, ‘I don't know how much longer I can last. I need to be able to feed my kids,’” Arnold said.
These officers went through the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and a previously shutdown situation two weeks ago.
"The anxiety is high. There's a lot of people who are hurting. I wouldn't go so far as to say like there's devastation amongst them. Their pockets were hurt. It's already expensive enough as it is here in San Diego,” Arnold said.
So, the message to those in Congress, as Arnold and others go through this anxiety again, is simple.
"We should find that middle ground, that common ground, and do what we can to help the people that we represent. That's what our job is. We can't have people, it doesn't matter what the opinion is, suffering,” Arnold said.
