Customs and Border Protection employees have a “new optimism” under the Trump administration, according to Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello.
Speaking at Border Security Expo in San Antonio last week, Vitiello said that there has been an uplift in morale among the agency’s 6,000 employees because of the president’s strong support for DHS and law enforcement. “There has been a great uplift in morale starting with Secretary Kelly, continuing through his replacement with Secretary Nielsen,” he told reporters.
By February of last year, several Obama-era policies had been overturned and then-Secretary John Kelly had announced tougher initiatives on immigration, which is believed to have contributed to the improved morale.
In January, Jon Anfinson, president of Local 2366 in the NBPC, testified to the House Committee on Homeland Security,”I think part of the improvement has been that we have an administration that clearly supports what we do, and that’s been a great improvement, but there are still issues within the agency that are gonna take a while for us to get through.”
