U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were spotted Tuesday at Philadelphia International Airport, a day after the Trump administration announced it was deploying federal agents to ease long security lines.
Transportation Security Administration staff have been working without pay for more than a month and are set to miss another check later this week, due to the shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Eleven percent of TSA officers nationwide called out Monday, and more than 450 have quit since funding lapsed Feb. 14, the Associated Press reported, citing DHS data.
The staffing shortage forced authorities at Philadelphia International Airport to close three of their six security checkpoints last week.
Up to 150 ICE agents have been sent to more than a dozen of the nation’s busiest airports, according to the New York Times. A PHL spokesperson referred questions to the TSA and DHS.
"Because of the Democrat shutdown, President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours long lines at airports across the country — especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families," DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis told Metro on Monday.
District Attorney Larry Krasner visited PHL on Tuesday afternoon and reiterated his vow to prosecute any ICE officer alleged to have broken the law.
“We just want to be careful that we don’t have a repeat of what happened in Minneapolis,” he said. “ICE, play nice. Because if you break the law, you are in fact going to find out, and I will make sure of it.”
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing members of the TSA, has said ICE agents do not have the proper training to replace airport officers.
In a call with reporters Tuesday, Kelley compared Trump’s deployment to “giving a person dying of pneumonia a teaspoon of cough syrup.”
“It doesn’t address the problem, and it’s not going to work,” he added.
AFGE leaders from around the country said their members are struggling to afford food and pay bills, especially as the end of the month approaches.
“Morale is low. Stress is high,” said LaShanda Palmer, president of AFGE Local 333, which represents TSA agents in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. “The uncertainty is taking a toll, not just financially, but mentally and emotionally.”
The Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, a group that includes more than a dozen unions covering airport employees across a variety of sectors, called on ICE to leave PHL.
"The presence of ICE agents in their workplace puts all workers, as well as the traveling public, in an unnecessarily unsafe and dangerous situation," Daniel P. Bauder, the council's president, said in a statement.
The partial government shutdown commenced last month after Democratic lawmakers insisted on incorporating immigration enforcement reforms into any DHS spending legislation, following the January killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good in Minneapolis.
PHL advises travelers to arrive two-and-a-half hours early for domestic flights and three-and-a-half hours early for international trips. Once through security, the terminals are connected, meaning passengers can access any of the gates. Real-time wait times for each of the checkpoints are posted at phl.org.
