(NewsNation) — Federal immigration enforcement operations across the country, including Chicago and Portland, are not expected to be significantly affected by the government shutdown as Department of Homeland officials continue to prioritize security, albeit with 200,000 officers working for free.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a social media post Tuesday night that federal law enforcement officers will continue to work throughout the government shutdown. She blamed Democrats for forcing more than 150,000 federal officers and nearly 50,000 military members, whom she referred to as the nation’s front line of defense, to “continue protecting our nation without pay.”
The government shutdown takes place as encounters between Customs and Border Protection agents and migrants illegally crossing into the United States increased for the second straight month in September, according to data acquired by NewsNation from DHS sources.
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The agency reported 11,671 encounters during the month, nearly 8,400 of which were handled by the U.S. Border Patrol. The illegal crossings were the second highest for any single month since President Donald Trump took office in January and the most since May.
Gregory Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector and Commander-Operation At Large CA (center), marches with federal agents to the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
DHS employees are considered essential workers who are expected to continue to show up for work even without earning a paycheck. Chris Clem, Border Patrol’s former Yuma, Arizona, sector chief, said that because an agent’s pay has already been processed, employees will typically get paid something until a second scheduled payday rolls around.
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In the short term, Clem said that day-to-day operations for federal agencies should not be affected. Some higher-level operations could be impacted, but those working in various federal operations at the border and across the nation’s interior will remain largely unfazed.
“There’s generally zero impact to the actual agent when they’re out there doing the mission,” Clem told NewsNation.
He added, “At this point, I would not raise any alarms or any concerns (regarding security). If (the shutdown) goes a long period of time, that’s when the concern is, but if this is something that just lasts the weekend, it will just be a blip on the radar.”
DHS recruitment of new agents, hiring bonuses likely not affected by shutdown
A DHS spokesperson told NewsNation on Wednesday that, despite the shutdown, the federal government would continue to offer a $50,000 signing bonus to join the federal agency. More than 150,000 applications have been received for immigration enforcement jobs that include “removing the worst of the worst” from the country.
The agency has already made more than 18,000 job offers for new agents as DHS hopes to add close to 100,000 new officers and agents through $4.1 billion funding provided by Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill.”
In addition to the signing bonus, new agents received a “robust” package of federal benefits, including student loan repayment and forgiveness options, as well as enhanced retirement benefits.
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As recruiting efforts continue, so do ongoing operations in Chicago, Portland and other cities, where federal immigration officers and members of the National Guard have been deployed to crack down on crime. Like DHS employees, National Guard troops, which have been deployed by the Trump administration to Democrat-led cities like Washington, D.C., and Memphis, are considered essential.
Trump has said that he will send the National Guard to Chicago after troops finish in Memphis. More than 200 guardsmen are being deployed across Oregon in response to anti-ICE protests in Portland.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detain a man outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs building during a protest Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
In recent days, U.S. Patrol agents have carried out targeted efforts on Chicago’s South Side, where more than 30 immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally and who are suspected Tren de Aragua gang members were arrested. Federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have remained the target of local elected officials, who say that the federal operation has nothing to do with crime but is instead about instilling fear and intimidation in local neighborhoods.
In suburban Broadview, where an ICE processing center has been the epicenter of protests in which federal officers and agents have used tear gas and other nonlethal ammunition against protesters, officials have launched three criminal investigations into the actions of federal officers.
Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills said Tuesday that federal officers and agents have created an “immediate health safety crisis for local residents and first responders who arrive at the facility during protests.
“The deployment of tear gas, pepper spray, mace and rubber bullets by ICE near the processing center in the village of Broadview is creating a dangerous situation,” Mills said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Mills and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson are calling for DHS to stop the use of chemical agents, which led to village officials launching multiple criminal investigations. Broadview police are investigating two hit-and-run accidents that involved pedestrians, as well as a third involving claims of criminal damage to property that involved a local news reporter.
Mills said that federal officials have pledged to cooperate with the investigation but are also asking Broadview officials to investigate reports of damage being done to ICE vehicles.
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The ongoing multiagency federal operation continues amid continued opposition to the ICE and DHS presence in Chicago from elected officials, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Border Patrol Commander-At-Large Gregory Bovino told NewsNation that agents “aren’t going anywhere” and that federal officers will remain in the greater Chicago area as long as is needed, regardless of what is happening in Washington.
Clem characterized the government shutdown as “unnecessary.” He said that the stoppages are typically the result of a political blame game. Although DHS employees have become accustomed to shutdowns and fall under contingency plans to keep the agency running, the political discord does not go unnoticed by those with boots on the ground.
“They’re watching this happen and they’re seeing this dysfunction of politics and this dysfunction of government,” Clem told NewsNation. “But will tell you that the men and women of the U.S. government, especially our essential employees …took an oath (and) they’re going to go out there and do the job the best they can and so as much as they can (even with) the distractions of the shutdown.”
