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President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that ICE will be deployed at airports across the U.S. to assist in TSA screenings.
Trump stated on Truth Social that ICE agents will be sent into airports on Monday. White House Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed the deployment to CNN on Sunday and claimed the move is about helping TSA fulfill its mission and get the American public through the airport as quickly as possible while adhering to all security guidelines and protocols.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shut down on Feb. 14, leaving its security workers without pay. About 300 TSA workers have quit and the national callout rate has jumped to 10.19%. Wait times for TSA lines have lengthened to up to 4 hours. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl warned that smaller airports in the U.S. could be forced to shut down if more security workers call in sick or quit. Some of the worst disruptions have been reported at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), according to the Bulkhead Seat."We're simply there to help TSA do their job in areas that don't need their specialized expertise, such as screening through the X-ray machine," said Homan. "Not trained in that? We won't do that."
ICE will continue its immigration enforcement activities while at airports, according to NBC. Homan states that this is done at airports all the time and that it will not change. With the current absence rate, about 4,000 airport staff will need to be replaced, according to View from the Wing.
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While some support the plan, others oppose it. ICE agents are not trained like TSA, and do not have the skills to recognize threats to aviation, like explosives, weapons and sophisticated threats that are designed to evade screening. Lawmakers have been working toward an agreement to reopen the DHS, but a resolution is still uncertain, according to CNN.
"Replacing unpaid TSA workers with ICE agents is not a solution, but a dangerous escalation," said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. "ICE agents are not trained or certified in aviation security. You cannot improvise that."