Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers have complained that federal immigration agents deployed at U.S. airports are “just in the way,” a union representative has said.
Pascual Contreras, a TSA employee in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport who said he has not received a paycheck in more than a month, told Reuters, “On a personal level, I don’t think we need them here. We need to be paid.”
TSA faces ongoing staffing shortages, which have been exacerbated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. TSA officers are among the federal employees required to work without pay during funding lapses, as they are considered essential workers. DHS has said over 400 TSA officers have left the agency since the shutdown.
The reduced workforce has led to longer security lines and operational strain at several major airports, particularly during peak travel periods. The Trump administration has deployed hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to at least 14 airports to assist with crowd control, line management, and securing exit areas, according to DHS.
“Why would you bring another agency to be TSA when you already have TSA? They’ve been standing around outside the whole time,” Contreras added.
“So, I would hate to call out another agency but what I’m getting from some of the officers is that they’re just in the way. Now we’re just, on top of having the heavy burden, now we have to train them in how we do our job?”
Contreras told ABC News he spoke to several TSA officers, but has himself yet to work alongside ICE agents.
This is a developing story; updates to follow.
