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300 DHS employees to return to work Tuesday

By Darryl Coote
US Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen approved U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services' request Monday for some 300 furloughed Department of Homeland Security employees to return to work. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI
US Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen approved U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services' request Monday for some 300 furloughed Department of Homeland Security employees to return to work. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Some 300 furloughed Department of Homeland Security employees were notified Monday to return to work to lessen the impact of the ongoing partial government shutdown.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen approved U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' request for the workers to return to work Tuesday with pay, the Washington Examiner reported.

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The workers, all from the agency's E-Verify office, will be reinstated to new USCIS positions that are seen as necessary until the shutdown ends.

The E-Verify office offers employers a voluntary service to confirm the employment eligibility of their workers, and it has been shuttered since the shutdown began on Dec. 22.

"USCIS is fortunate that our highly trained and experienced E-Verify staff are returning to help support the agency's mission in other capacities until their program is fully functional," USCIS spokesman Michael Bars said in a statement reported by the Washington Examiner.

The workers will receive their regular paycheck despite taking on new positions, CNN reported, adding that the employees will be trained on their new positions starting Tuesday and will return to their E-Verify office positions once the shutdown ends.

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The 300 employees stationed nationwide will take on positions that are funded by fees.

The move by Homeland Security follows the U.S State Department informing overseas employees to return to work no later than Tuesday after it was able to secure funds for two weeks' salaries.

The shutdown started mid-December due to an impasse over funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. President Donald Trump is looking for some $5.7 billion to construct the border wall that congressional Democrats oppose.

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