US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have deployed to major airports across the country, stepping in as thousands of security staff go without pay and refuse to work during an ongoing partial government shutdown.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are increasingly absent, having not received pay in weeks since the shutdown began on February 14. This absence has resulted in massive queues and hours-long wait times at airport security checkpoints, with over 3,400 TSA agents not showing up for work on a recent Sunday.
On Monday, the White House's border tsar, Tom Homan, confirmed that hundreds of ICE agents are now stationed at 14 airports in cities like New York, Atlanta, and Houston, in response to the crisis.
Photos captured show ICE agents at various locations, including New York's JFK airport and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson. However, unlike previous deployments where they wore masks, these agents were seen without PPE as per the President's directive to maintain a specific appearance at airports.
Substantial absenteeism has severely impacted operations, with reports indicating that at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, 42.3% of TSA staff were absent, while Hartsfield-Jackson faced 41.5% absenteeism. This led airport management to advise passengers to arrive as early as three to four hours before scheduled flights to mitigate delays.
In a letter to Congress, airport leaders expressed their deep concerns over the operational disruptions caused by the shutdown, urging for immediate resolution. The situation is compounded by continuous funding standoffs, with Democrats refusing to support funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without proper restrictions on immigration agents.
While ICE agents are positioned to aid in maintaining order and handling non-security tasks, their deployment happens during a time of declining public approval for the agency due to its enforcement activities. Critics have voiced concerns over their inadequate training for airport environments and potential risks linked to racial profiling.
With the TSA workers facing another missed paycheck and Congress amidst a recess, the resolution to the shutdown seems distant, leaving TSA and ICE personnel to handle the mounting pressures of securing airport operations.
