The union representing more than 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers blasted President Trump’s plan to deploy ICE agents to airports, warning that putting untrained personnel at security checkpoints is not the solution.
“ICE agents are not trained or certified in aviation security,” Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a statement Sunday. “TSA officers spend months learning to detect explosives, weapons, and threats specifically designed to evade detection at checkpoints — skills that require specialized instruction, hands-on practice, and ongoing recertification. You cannot improvise that.”
Mr. Kelley said TSA officers have worked without pay for more than five weeks, with hundreds quitting, and accused Washington of responding to the crisis with a political stunt rather than a paycheck.
“Our members at TSA have been showing up every day, without a paycheck, because they believe in the mission of keeping the flying public safe,” he said. “They deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be.”
Mr. Kelley called on Congress to act immediately.
“Congress has the power to fund TSA today,” he said. “It’s time for them to stop playing politics and do their jobs.”
The statement came after White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed Sunday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would begin assisting at airports as soon as Monday, saying they would take on tasks that don’t require specialized TSA training — such as guarding exit lanes — to free up TSA officers for screening duties.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.