Critics argue that ICE officers do not receive the specialized aviation security training needed to perform screening duties for the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA official criticizes ICE presence amid airport chaos
TSA officials say staffing shortages are accelerating delays at airports during the partial government shutdown, and ICE agents are causing confusion.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were dispatched to airports across the country this week in an effort to ease long security lines amid a partial government shutdown.
Weekend absenteeism for Transportation Security Administration employees has reached its highest level since the shutdown began in mid-February, and the White House announced on March 22 that more than 400 employees have left the agency. CNN reported that ICE was dispatched to more than a dozen airports, including major travel hubs such as New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Lauren Biss declined to confirm to USA TODAY where the ICE agents were located, citing “operational security reasons.”
But some have expressed concerns about the qualifications of ICE officers. TSA agents work without regular paychecks, but they receive specialized training and their duties differ significantly from those of ICE agents. Here’s what ICE agents need to carry out their TSA duties:
What does it take to become a TSA officer?
Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), who operate inspection equipment to scan hazardous materials, conduct searches, control terminal entrances and exits, and perform other duties, are thoroughly trained.
“What I really want people to understand is that it takes a long time to become a TSA officer,” Caleb Harmon Marshall, founder of the Gate Access Newsletter and eight years as a TSO, told USA TODAY.
He estimated that it took him five to six months to earn his certification. This included training at a facility near Miami International Airport (MIA) and on-the-job training with experienced TSOs. “So we work together for a few weeks and then we go through some extensive testing to make sure we’re certified for everything from X-rays to diagnostics,” he said.
“Aviation security is completely different than what ICE does,” said Harmon Marshall, who spent most of his TSA career at ATL.
“TSA agents are specifically looking for prohibited items,” he says. “They’re looking for knives, guns, bullets, anything that could cause harm. It takes a trained eye,” recalled Harmon-Marshall, who became so skilled at X-ray examinations that he could tell the difference between a MacBook and an HP laptop.
New ICE employees undergo unique preparation, including “56 days of training and an average of 28 days of on-the-job training,” according to a February news release from DHS.
“If you look from the air, one person has law enforcement training and the other person doesn’t. And one person has a gun and one person doesn’t have a gun,” said Kathy Clayton, director of the Buffalo Collaborative Laboratory at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. “So those are completely different types of training.”
ICE’s culture is also “very aggressive,” Clayton said. “And that’s not what the average civilian visiting an airport on a business or leisure trip would expect to encounter,” she says.
In addition, checkpoint personnel must also be integrated into airport security operations. This includes creating secure airport badges and coordinating with airport police and airlines, among other considerations.
In a separate statement, DHS’s Biss told USA TODAY that TSA is “extremely grateful” to ICE officers at airports, adding, “The more support we have available, the more TSA can focus on its highly specialized screening role and move efficiently and quickly through airport security lines.”
What needs to be changed for ICE to perform TSA functions?
Passenger and baggage screening at U.S. airports is governed by Title 49 of the United States Code, which requires federal employees to conduct the screening and TSA to oversee it.
If policymakers want ICE officers to assist TSA in screening, Congress would likely need to amend the federal law governing aviation screening to allow another agency to operate the checkpoints. Without this change, TSA would remain the agency legally responsible for inspection missions.
What is ICE doing at airports?
TSA Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl said in a March 23 interview with Fox News that ICE officers “provide non-professional security assistance, including staffing exit lanes, crowd management, and line control.” He also expressed his gratitude to TSA for alleviating the challenges facing TSA officers and travelers.
White House border czar Tom Homan expressed similar sentiments in a March 22 appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I’ve never seen ICE officers looking at an X-ray machine because they’re not trained in X-ray screening. But there are certain parts of security that TSA does, and we can get them out of those jobs and put them into specialized jobs and help move those lines,” he said.
However, the union representing TSA employees wants to make clear that they will not be replaced.
“ICE officers are not trained or certified in aviation security,” Everett Kelly, national president of the American Federation of Public Employees, previously said in a statement to USA TODAY. “TSA officers spend months learning how to detect explosives, weapons, and threats specifically designed to evade detection at checkpoints. These skills require specialized instruction, on-the-job training, and ongoing recertification. You can’t improvise. Placing untrained personnel at security checkpoints doesn’t close the gap; it creates a gap.”
Early reports from some travelers indicate that ICE’s presence is not doing much to improve the situation and may be more disruptive than helpful for some employees.
Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the Federal Government Employees Association Local 1040, which represents TSA employees in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said at a March 24 press conference that “the employees who actually work at the airport are afraid to come to work because they fear they will be detained or removed from the airport because of their immigration status.” “Some restaurants actually didn’t open at the airport because the employees weren’t coming.”
Harmon Marshall does not expect ICE’s presence to pose a risk to aviation safety, but it could have other negative effects. “I think their presence poses a threat to the traveling public,” he said.
Contributor: Eve Chen and Zach Wictor, USA TODAY
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. Please contact us at ndiller@usatoday.com.
