WASHINGTON, D.C. (FEDweek) — Secretary of War/Defense Pete Hegseth has called on supervisors to encourage department civilians to volunteer for temporary details to DHS in support of immigration operations.
In a February memo, Hegseth urged supervisors to promote the program and approve volunteer requests when mission requirements allow, calling the effort an important contribution to national security.
The Pentagon said that 1,000 civilians have so far signed up and 200 have completed assignments since last summer. Details to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection are 60 days, and can be renewed three times. Roles include data entry, logistics, operational planning, and call center operations.
Assignments are available at several locations nationwide, including San Diego; Williston, Vermont; Chicago; and El Paso, Texas. Right now, Cogar said, the biggest need voiced by DHS is for volunteers to work at the call center tip-line in Vermont.
“I encourage all who are interested to volunteer for this detail opportunity. Supporting interior immigration enforcement actions, apprehending illegal aliens and securing our borders are vital to the national security of the United States,” Hegseth said. “I expect every supervisor to encourage their civilian employees to volunteer. Leadership must continue to promote this detail program and educate their civilian employees on its importance.”
Department employees can sign up on the USAJobs website, where they will complete a short questionnaire and upload required documents.
The Pentagon said last year that participants would not take part in law enforcement operations, citing desired skills such as intelligence analysis, corrections, linguistics, HR, and transportation security, with pay set at the employee’s normal rate and official locality – including overtime.
The department had also said participation would be recognized during the employee’s next performance evaluation.
However, while the Pentagon has framed the deployments as voluntary, managerial pressure to solicit volunteers could create situations where employees feel compelled to accept assignments to protect their careers or performance evaluations. “The pressure for civilians to deploy could cause employees to fear retaliation for not volunteering,” said Michael Fallings, Managing Partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC. “In addition, it is unclear how the agency will manage the additional workload for employees who do volunteer.”
