Government Shutdown Forces ICE Agents to Work Without Immediate Pay

Washington D.C.— Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) issued the following statement from Julie Kirchner, Senior Advisor for Homeland Security and Immigration, and Cooper Smith, Director of Homeland Security and Immigration, regarding the ongoing government shutdown:

“ICE agents are on the front lines every day—removing violent criminals, keeping our neighborhoods safe, and targeting cartel violence. Yet during this shutdown, these men and women continue reporting for duty without immediate pay. Their work is both critical and dangerous. Consider the deranged individual in Dallas who fired bullets meant to hit ICE officers – yet tragically fatally struck detainees instead.

The threats ICE agents face aren’t just physical—they’re personal. ICE agents are routinely doxed, harassed, and targeted online and in public simply for enforcing the law. These threats have grown in recent years, putting even greater strain on those who serve.

As if the daily risks weren’t enough, the uncertainty caused by this government shutdown undermines their mission and puts public safety at risk. Meanwhile, the same radicals demanding ‘free’ taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens are holding America’s law enforcement officers hostage without pay.

ICE officers should not have to serve under these conditions, and our nation should not send the wrong message to our enemies at a time of rising security threats. The bottom line is that the far left must end this shutdown so America’s defenders can continue protecting our country—without fear, without uncertainty, and without delay of pay.”