By Hannah Saunders
About 150 ICE agents were recently deployed to 14 airports to assist TSA with non-screening duties, with circulating footage showing unmasked officers standing in smaller groups and on their phones to pass time. Since Valentine’s Day, nearly 50,000 TSA workers have been without pay, oftentimes taking on second jobs to support their families due to a partial government shutdown. Despite assurances that ICE will not engage in immigration operations at airports, this decision has rattled people across the nation.
“They’re going to be conducting a non-specialized security support, you know, manning the exit lanes, crowd management, line control,” Adam Stahl, acting TSA deputy, told Fox News, who added how Democrats are “hellbent” on keeping DHS shutdown and not finding a compromise.
Lawmakers passed a $1.2 trillion spending package in early February, which will fund most of the federal government through September, and funding for DHS was excluded and to be voted on separately. Democrats are demanding that ICE agents abide by identification requirements, but Republicans shot down these changes, as well as a Democrat-plan to pass partial funding for DHS that would exclude ICE. TSA and ICE fall under the DHS umbrella, and ICE officers continue to be paid due to last year’s passage of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Act,” which funds ICE and Customs and Border Patrol billions of dollars over the next several years.
“Due to the Democrat’s DHS shutdown, many TSA officers are facing financial hardship and have been forced to call out— including at Long Beach Airport, where 21% of officers called out over the weekend. Democrats must END their DHS shutdown and pay our TSA officers,” DHS stated on X.
The shutdown and loss of TSA workers has led to long lines and delays at several major airports, and over 400 people quit since February. The Trump regime has yet to release a full list of airports, but the Associated Press reported that impacted airports include the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; Louis Armstrong International Airport close to New Orleans; and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Additional impacted airports reported by CNN include the Chicago-O’Hare International Airport; Cleveland Hopkins International Airport; William P. Hobby Airport in Houston; LaGuardia Airport in New York; Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philadelphia International Airport; Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport; Pittsburg International Airport; and Southwest Florida International Aiport.
“We’re hoping they’ll be a force multiplier to help support the non-specialized security functions that will allow for our TSA officers to focus on baggage review, x-ray operations as well, so getting them to come to the airport will allow us and allow our teams to focus on more specialized security,” Stahl added.
In a March 22 statement, the ACLU said this is the first time a president has sent armed ICE agents to airports to replace TSA, instilling fear in travelers, including families.
“The American people don’t want to live in White House advisor Stephen Miller’s dystopian police state. ICE and other federal agents have already shown the cost to us all when the president deploys them on his whim to act as a domestic policing force. Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Keith Porter Jr., Ruben Ray Martinez, and thousands of protestors, journalists, and people across the country have endured the brunt of lawless agents. America’s families travelling to see loved ones should not have to deal with ICE agents who likely have no training or experience with the mission of airport security.”
—Naureen Shah, director of policy and govt affairs for immigration at ACLU
KUOW reported that there were no sightings of ICE agents at the SeaTac Airport. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has yet to issue a statement about this development, and has been promoting an anti-ICE bill signing, where his office and El Centro de la Raza called SPD on immigrants who were passing out flyers at the event, which highlighted ICE’s use of DOL data for detainments and the governor’s inaction.
If travelers spot ICE agents, they are encouraged to stay calm, maintain a safe distance, and document and record. Travelers are not required to answer questions about their immigration status or birthplace, and should not sign any documents.
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