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Washington, D.C.—With frustration levels at an all-time high, approximately 50 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees are gathered in Washington for two days of meetings with Congress to discuss with key lawmakers a number of issues impacting our nation’s homeland security.

These vital frontline employees are also leaders of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and represent thousands of CBP employees in seaports, airports, and land border crossings across the United States.

“These employees are extraordinarily frustrated with a number of issues and policies put forth by the Department of Homeland Security that are impeding their ability to get the important security work done at the borders while also allowing for the free flow of legal trade and immigration,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. “Since repeated efforts to address these issues with DHS have not worked, we are taking our concerns directly to Capitol Hill.”

The CBP leaders will address these issues during their congressional visits:

One Face at the Border—This policy of having one employee be an expert on customs, immigration and agriculture issues is not working and is diluting employees’ expertise in each of these complex and specialized areas. NTEU believes that the specializations must be maintained.

Law Enforcement Officer status—CBP officers continue to be denied Law Enforcement Officer status despite their clear, and increasing, law enforcement duties. Many other federal law enforcement personnel have this designation which allows for retirement after 20 years and is vital to CBP’s efforts to recruit and retain experienced employees.

DHS personnel system—Despite a federal court decision declaring key portions of its proposed personnel system to be illegal, DHS continues to move forward with attempts to implement the flawed regulations. NTEU repeatedly has sought to sit down with the department and develop a personnel system that addresses legitimate DHS concerns without infringing on employees’ civil service and collective bargaining rights. The new personnel system would also take away the union’s right to negotiate on scheduling, work assignments and overtime. Employees have a right to a set schedule, to know in advance where they are going to be assigned to work, and to acquire skills they need to enhance their careers. These are important quality of life issues that not only affect the employee, but affect the employee’s family as well.

Staffing and Resources—Staffing shortages are being experienced at ports and borders around the country and the number of import specialists is diminishing as the agency’s focus on its trade mission takes a backseat to homeland security concerns. DHS needs a thorough review of staffing needs to ensure that only legitimate goods and people are entering the United States.

“These NTEU and CBP leaders are frontline security experts who bring real-world experience to the discussion and debate over how DHS can best meet its critical obligations,” President Kelley said, “and I am sure that members of Congress will benefit greatly from their discussions.”

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments, including some 14,000 in CBP.