United States: why thousands of Homeland Security employees fear they will no longer be paid

In the United States, many government employees, specifically those working for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are facing uncertainty over their salaries. They have been warned that the pay they receive on Friday could be their last until the partial government shutdown is resolved, which has already set a record for its duration.

Internal communication within the government has raised concerns that without congressional intervention, future salary payments for DHS employees could be suspended. This situation has been ongoing for weeks.

It is unclear whether this internal communication applies to all DHS employees, including security agents at airports. In late March, President Donald Trump instructed that these security agents be paid to avoid chaos and long passenger queues.

The DHS, one of the largest U.S. government departments, employs over 260,000 people. Its funding has been frozen since February 14th due to a deep disagreement between Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Congress regarding immigration enforcement practices, particularly those of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which are heavily criticized by the left.

Struggling to Make Ends Meet

While Republican lawmakers had announced an agreement in early April to end the partial government shutdown, the House of Representatives had not yet voted on it.

Lawmakers, returning from a parliamentary break next week, are under pressure to reach an agreement as they resume their work.

This deadlock has forced tens of thousands of federal employees to either stay at home or work without the guarantee of a salary. Some have had to rely on savings, food banks, or second jobs to make ends meet.

If this situation continues, it could lead to further staff shortages, potentially disrupting airports in the coming months, especially during major events such as the World Cup.