Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says a new Congressional budget should eliminate the need to furlough or cut overtime hours for border agents.
Napolitano said Thursday after meeting with Houston law enforcement officials and business leaders the agency still is reviewing the numbers but it appears security will "get back to where we were before sequestration."
Napolitano traveled to Houston to discuss immigration reform, and says an overhaul of the system must guarantee employers a legal workforce.
She was headed later Thursday to the Texas border town of McAllen and to Tucson, Ariz., Friday.
The National ICE Council, which represents some 7,600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff, has criticized Napolitano for not meeting with them to discuss reform.
President Barack Obama and Congress hope to tackle immigration reform this month.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.