Shutdown’s Impact on Federal Law Enforcement: Don Mihalek Explains Security Challenges

ABC News Law Enforcement Contributor Don Mihalek breaks down how the government shutdown affects federal law enforcement operations and staffing, and what it takes to secure federal immigration facilities during a funding lapse.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now, let's go to the hotline and bring in
ABC News Law enforcement contributor and retired senior Secret Service
agent Don Mahllick is back with us. Don, thanks so
much for taking a few minutes to come on the show.
The government shutdown continues. We have a lot of federal
law enforcement agents all across the country. They're obviously caught
in the middle of all of this not getting paid

(00:21):
right now, When you were part of the Secret Service
and these shutdowns happen, what was that like for you
and your colleagues.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
It was very uncomfortable.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
And I had the misfortune of being there for almost
every single shutdown the government had them until I retired
in twenty nineteen. And when the government shuts down, it
presents a lot of challenges to the not only the agencies,
but the individuals working because now you're potentially looking at
not being paid or not getting a paycheck, but your

(00:53):
bills are still due, so you know, the first time
you miss a paycheck, it's kind of a shock. And
then as it continues to go on, it becomes more
problematic because the bank that has your mortgage, and the
company and the other utilities, they still want to be paid,
and it presents a lot of challenges, and it gets
to the point where people start to talk about, well,

(01:15):
do I have to go get a job at Walmart
so I can pay the bills. Now, I've always looked
at shutdowns as a terrible idea, and it really jeopardizes
our national security and it places the frontline defenders, the
federal lawenforcement officers in the uniform military, in a precarious
situation with potential national security implications.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
I think sometimes people view the federal government and those
who work for the federal government as this entity that
spends a ton of money and you get these cushy
gigs with these big salaries. But that's not the case
for your average federal government worker, including those in law enforcement.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
No, well, I mean the law enforce officers. You're thinking
that people may not. You know, your FBI agents that
are our working terrorism cases, your Secret Service agents that
are handling all the protection including just recently up at
the you in General Assembly and took down that big
telecom case in Brooklyn. You know, your your your DEA
agents stopping drugs at the border. You know, and now

(02:19):
the Ice folks rounding up the criminal illegal aliens. You know,
those are the federal law enforcement officers who are out
on frontline jobs trying to make sure that America stay
safe and that bad guys are taking off the streets.
And even if you look at the civilian side of
the federal government, these are the people processing people social

(02:40):
security checks, processing people's tax returns which everybody likes to
get at tax you know, at tax refund back. The
people that are making sure that you know, people that
are on you know, that are getting assistants or the
assistance money is going through the states. These are the
kind of people that are being shut out of the
federal government possess just a lot of challenges, but particularly

(03:01):
for the frontline defenders who are still expected to come
to work and perform, but they're coming to work and
performing without the thought of am I ever going to
get paid? And also they're coming to work and performing
with half the team because the civilians and a lot
of these agencies we tend to be the specialists, are
not there. So evidence doesn't get processed, paid checks don't

(03:24):
get processed, you know. So it presents a lot of
challenges and it's really not a bright idea.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
What Congress does this?

Speaker 3 (03:31):
And you know, I worry for the frontline defenders from
a national security perspective. At what point is it, Hey,
I need to get paid because I have to pay
my bills.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
We're joined by ABC News Law Enforcement contributor and retired
Senior Secret Service Agent Don Mahllick. Do you also have
a situation where something like this has those members of
law enforcement start to rethink public service because obviously, I'm
sure many of them can get good jobs in the
private sector.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Well, especially in an environment right now where every law
enforcement agency is having a challenge recruiting and retaining law
enforcement officers, this just adds to the reason not to
go into law enforcement or not to stay.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
So it's really a terrible idea.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
When Congress does this, and it really impacts not only
not only the actual work that's getting done, but the
morale of the individuals there that are trying to protect
and defend America.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
I want to switch gears and talk about something else.
We're seeing these protests, clashes with federal law enforcement agents
in Chicago, outside ice facilities in Portland. When it comes
to securing those kinds of facilities, especially when you have

(04:50):
people descending on them and tensions are really high in
those communities. What is that like, what goes into p
those facilities, and of course the federal agents who are
working there.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
Well, it's very interesting to ask that, Ryan, because for
several years now we've been told about the mostly peaceful
protests and these people showing up or exercising their First
Amendment right, and that type of diatribe that we've been
fed by different sectors of both the government and the media.
While Apple just took down thirty or forty apps on

(05:30):
off their app store which were specifically set up to
target and track the movements of ICE agents and ICE officers,
which says to me that all of this is pre planned, targeted,
and being coordinated by some people somewhere against the ICE
officers and agents who were sent out to do a job,

(05:53):
and they're trying to do their job, so they're being targeted.
It's clearly being coordinated. And for the ICE hierarchy, they
have to worry about force protection now for their personnel
every time they go out and do an ICE operation,
including their home base, and institute some protective measures that
they would probably borrow from the Secret Service about making

(06:15):
sure you have three hundred and sixty three recoverage. Making
sure you know your arrival, areas know your departure is
probably I would think working with local law enforcement officers
and those areas that will work with them to have
some uniformed police presence whenever they're out doing an operation.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
And I'm sure the buildings now in addition.

Speaker 3 (06:33):
To doing their operations against criminal legal aliens that have
to set up and hold perimeter protection, as well as
deal with these allegedly supposedly spontaneous protests, which we have
evidence that it's being coordinated in light of the fact
that Apple taking down these thirty apps where people could
track and monitor ICE operations.

Speaker 1 (06:54):
ABC News Law enforcement contributor and retired senior Secret Service
agent Don mahallick with us this morning. Don always appreciate
your time and insight.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
Thanks so much. Thanks for having me, Ryan, I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
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Speaker 2 (07:09):
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