BUFFALO, N.Y. — Customs and Border agents along the northern border, including here in New York State, will be sent to the southern border to address ongoing immigration issues there.
This comes just days after top Customs officials requested more officers to go to the U.S. Mexico border on a voluntary basis.
But, just the thought of fewer agents here is causing concerns.
Customs and Border agents in the Buffalo Field Office, which includes the four international bridges to WNY, will be heading down to the U.S. Mexico Border -- but we haven't been told when or how many officers or how long they'll stay.
This comes just a few days after top Customs officials spoke to reporters describing conditions at the southern border, calling it "an unprecedented humanitarian and border security crisis."
CBP says it has recently sent nearly 600 border patrol agents to the Southern Border, but more are needed.
CBP Buffalo says officers here will step up, saying their office always supports temporary duty assignments such as disaster relief efforts after Hurricanes Harvey and Maria.
But there are concerns about wait times at the border especially with the summer months ahead.
"It's already a problem during the busy traveling season," said Congressman Brian Higgins, "we should be bringing in more border patrol agents."
REPORTER: How do you know this isn't something that Customs and Border they know what they're doing and they can handle it, they can handle both?
"Because they don't do a very good job in managing the northern border in the first place there are constant complaints about too few Customs and Border patrol agents," Higgins said.
REPORTER: What else do you think they can do in the short timeframe to address the problems at the southern border?
"Additional judges in the immigration courts to adjudicate all of these all of these asylum seekers," Higgins said, "if you use your resources effectively if you managed efficiently and effectively this problem can be managed."
Higgins believes issues at the southern border can be handled with officers who are already there.
Customs officials say anytime they deploy officers, there could always be negative impacts, but that CBP has ports throughout the state, that can they can pull officers from to try to minimize the impact.