ICE agents dispatched to airports as TSA shortage worsens
Travelers are facing long lines at TSA as ICE officers are deployed to airports during the partial government shutdown.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were dispatched by President Donald Trump to assist the nation’s major airports after weeks of a partial government shutdown that resulted in the closure of terminal checkpoints, long lines of airport travelers and the furloughing of many Department of Homeland Security employees.
But DHS and the Trump administration remain tight-lipped about plans for ICE operations at nearby airports.
Is ICE located at Philadelphia International Airport? Has DHS confirmed ICE in Philadelphia?
On Tuesday morning, multiple Philadelphia-based media outlets, including NBC10 and 6ABC, reported on ICE sightings at Philadelphia International Airport.
However, when asked directly, DHS and TSA representatives declined to confirm ICE’s whereabouts for security reasons.
“For business security reasons, we do not intend to confirm the location of our employees,” Lauren Biss, acting DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, said in a statement.
Biss also blamed Democrats for the partial shutdown that is impacting U.S. travel.
“While Democrats continue to jeopardize the safety, reliability, and ease of our air travel, President Trump is taking steps to deploy hundreds of ICE agents, currently funded by Congress, to negatively impacted airports,” Biss said.
Philadelphia International Airport has addressed the terminal closure through social media, but has not yet commented on the ICE officers who will be supplementing security.
When asked for official confirmation, Airport Communications Manager Heather Redfern deferred to TSA and DHS.
Which airport is ICE located at?
President Donald Trump announced that ICE agents would be sent to assist at airport security checkpoints starting March 23, as TSA wait times were reported across the U.S. as the shutdown continues.
Philadelphia International Airport was one of 13 airports scheduled to have ICE officers deployed, USA TODAY reported.
The list originally published by CNN included:
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- cleveland hopkins international airport
- Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Houston William P. Hobby Airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport
- laguardia airport
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
- Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- philadelphia international airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- pittsburgh international airport
- Southwest Florida International Airport
What does ICE do at airports? Can ICE officers do TSA work?
Border Patrol Agent Tom Homan, who appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said ICE agents stationed at airports across the country are not expected to operate security imaging devices, but they may assist the TSA in other ways.
“I’ve never seen ICE officers looking at X-ray machines because they’re not trained in X-ray screening,” he said on March 22. “But there are certain parts of security that TSA does, and we can take them out of those jobs and put them into specialized jobs and help move those lines.”
These jobs include support roles such as non-screening duties and exit security, he said.
Caitlin McCormick is a journalist based in Philadelphia.
