SAN YSIDRO, Calif. — A California congressman is raising concerns about a potential government shutdown’s impact on migrants and staff who police the San Diego-Mexico border.
Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat from San Juan Capistrano, said he is concerned about the thousands of Border Patrol agents and military members who won’t get paid if the shutdown happens Sunday.
“At a time when we've got a critically important situation going on in our region, this is the last thing we need,” Levin said Thursday in an interview from D.C.
If the shutdown happens, 19,000 Border Patrol agents will go unpaid and thousands more field operations officers won’t be able to collect a paycheck, he said.
The timing comes as a recent surge in migrants is overwhelming federal agencies and shelters that house asylum seekers. In the last two weeks, more than 9,000 migrants have been released on streets in San Diego County, according to Supervisor Jim Desmond.
Levin said one of the programs Republicans want to cut is a $800 million-dollar shelter services program. It gives communities like San Diego County funding for asylum seekers.
Asked what he said to taxpayers who are fed up with the current situation at the border, Levin told ABC 10News reporter Austin Grabish “I’m fed up too.”
“What we need is a balance of more border security, effective border security measures combined with pathways for people who are playing by the rules, paying taxes,” Levin said.
Republicans are putting the blame for the situation on the Biden administration's handling of the border.
“You've all seen the images of the Southern border. It has to stop immediately, and this government should not continue to be funded if we do not secure our border,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) told reporters Wednesday.
Scripps News contributed to this report.
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