Transportation Security Administration union leaders blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to selected airports, saying Tuesday that the move will do little to cut the long security lines caused by the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Union Leaders Slam ICE Airport Deployment
According to a report by The Hill, at a virtual news conference hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees, union officials called the deployment an “insult” and a “waste of money,” arguing ICE officers lack the aviation-security training and customer-service mindset needed at checkpoints.
The comments arrived as the Trump administration deployed ICE officers to 14 airports this week amid worsening unpaid TSA staff shortages.
Hydrick Thomas, president of AFGE TSA Council 100 and AFGE Local 2222, said the administration was deploying a tactical force in a setting that requires specialized screening judgment and passenger assistance, not just a uniformed presence.
Training Gaps Limit Any Real Relief
Janis Casey, a regional vice president for the union, said ICE officers cannot meaningfully ease the burden because checkpoint jobs require annual certification and recertification. White House border czar Tom Homan has said ICE officers are not trained to run X-ray machines or conduct screening and would instead help with peripheral security duties.
Union officials also said they were angered that ICE officers sent to airports are being paid, including travel costs, while TSA officers are still working without salaries. Aaron Barker, who represents TSA workers in Georgia, argued the money being spent on hotels and daily allowance checks for ICE staff would be better spent paying screeners already on the job.
Shutdown Pay Crisis Keeps Pressure Rising
Reuters reported on Tuesday that more than 450 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began and that over 10% of officers recently missed work nationwide, worsening airport delays during a spring travel surge.
The broader pay crisis remains the central issue. Reuters also noted that about 50,000 to 61,000 TSA employees are working without pay and that workers received only a partial paycheck at the end of February and missed a full paycheck in mid-March. Another paycheck is due this coming weekend, but its timing remains uncertain as lawmakers negotiate.
Stocks of key airlines in the country have been on the up over the past few days after Trump ordered a five-day pause on planned U.S. strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure, with Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL) shares up 3.55% and United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) shares up 1.64%, respectively, over five days.
Photo: Joey Sussman from Shutterstock
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