Things to know about the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security

NPR - During two congressional hearings this week, the leaders of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection told lawmakers their agencies would likely not see significant impact on their enforcement operations since both agencies received more than $70 billion from Congress last summer as part of the GOP's massive tax and spending bill.

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said the shutdown could affect DHS's work on transnational crime, but he did not note any impact to immigration operations. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott didn't detail how the shutdown would affect personnel, just saying: "I agree America becomes less safe."

Another agency unlikely to see much interruption is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow reminded House lawmakers that his agency is funded primarily by the fees people pay when they submit various forms and applications, so his employees would still get paid...

Most of the Transportation Security Administration's roughly 64,000 employees are considered "essential" workers and have to stay on the job.

Still, travelers across the U.S. could feel the impact of the shutdown — particularly if it lasts more than a few weeks. In past shutdowns, airport security workers stayed home from work in greater numbers when they started missing paychecks, citing "financial limitations."

And TSA leaders say many are still feeling the effects of the lengthy funding lapse in October and November.

"We saw a lot of folks have to take on second jobs, making for extremely long work days," said Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting administrator of the TSA, at a House hearing on Wednesday. "Some are just recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown. Many are still reeling from it. We cannot put them through another such experience."

The number of unscheduled absences among TSA workers doubled or even tripled at some airports during the last shutdown, according to McNeill. The threat of repeated shutdowns also makes it harder to attract and retain workers, she said....

The U.S. Coast Guard is a branch of the military, but is housed inside DHS. Admiral Thomas Allan told the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that during a shutdown the Coast Guard would have to suspend all non-essential missions, and defer training and maintenance, along with commercial safety inspections and other services.

Coast Guard teams are deployed around the country and around the world and perform a wide range of missions that are considered essential, from search and rescue to interdicting drug vessels. Many of the 55,000 personnel would have to continue working, while risking not being paid during a shutdown. Though during the last shutdown, DHS used money from the Republican tax and spending bill to pay their salaries.