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The Trump administration has pledged to pay tens of thousands of federal law enforcement officers, including those from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), during the ongoing government shutdown. Internal emails reviewed by Reuters revealed that agents involved in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown will continue to receive pay, even as other federal employees go without.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that over 70,000 officers across the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—including ICE, CBP, the Secret Service, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)—will receive a “supercheck” by October 22, covering all hours worked during the shutdown and the following pay period. The move shields personnel implementing Trump’s key immigration and border security initiatives from financial hardship affecting other government workers.
The administration has also approved continued pay for military troops and FBI agents. However, questions remain about where DHS will source the funds, as roughly 97% of CBP’s 67,000 employees and 95% of ICE’s 22,000 workers rely on annual congressional appropriations, which lapsed on September 30 amid partisan disputes.
The pay decision primarily benefits agents deployed to Trump’s law enforcement operations in major Democratic-led cities and officers combating fentanyl smuggling. CBP officials cited a reclassification of funding sources that allows these payments, while union representatives confirmed that certain positions—including Border Patrol Agents, Air and Marine Agents, and CBP Officers—are now considered exempt.
TSA air marshals are also set to receive paychecks, although 50,000 TSA checkpoint officers will remain unpaid. The partial payments aim to prevent operational disruptions similar to those during the 2019 shutdown, when widespread absences caused delays and slowed air traffic.
While Trump continues to pressure Democrats by freezing funding for select agencies, a federal judge has temporarily blocked related layoffs. Despite legal challenges, the administration remains firm in maintaining pay for security personnel vital to national operations.
