BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday honored those who serve to secure the nation’s borders.
More than 100 employees were recognized at an awards ceremony at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers’ Glynco campus in the Brunswick area.
The awards recognize service, leadership and valor.
News4JAX spoke with one recipient who spent hours working with a team to reunite unaccompanied minors at the U.S. border with their families.
“We had around 400 volunteers, we conducted 1,400 interviews in about a five-month time span, and around 11,000 of those interviews were reunited with a sponsor as a direct result of our actions,” said Preston Micah, a case manager with the Arlington asylum office. “I owe America everything. I love this country. I get to directly impact the United States by working with this agency, and I couldn’t be happier.”
About 200 employees are recognized each year — that’s less than 1% of the over 240,000 who work for Homeland Security.
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien attended the ceremony, which was officiated by FLETC Director Thomas J. Walters.