Source: Fortune.com
Summary
President Donald Trump has ordered federal immigration agents to assist with airport security, specifically to help with long wait times at screening checkpoints. The move comes as hundreds of thousands of homeland security workers, including TSA agents, have worked without pay since Congress failed to renew DHS funding last month. White House border czar Tom Homan says immigration officers will guard exit lanes or check passenger IDs, freeing up TSA agents to focus on screening lines. The plan is still being discussed and will be implemented at large airports with long wait times.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story. Trump’s plan to use immigration officers for airport security is the latest development in the ongoing partial government shutdown. ICE agents will be assigned to airports to help TSA agents with screening lines, but their specific duties and numbers are still being discussed. Homan says the priority is to relieve long wait times at large airports. Meanwhile, Democrats are showing no sign of backing down on their demands for changes in the conduct of federal immigration agents.
ICE agents will be a “force multiplier,” but there are limits to their role. They won’t be looking at X-ray machines, but they can cover exits and check IDs. The plan is a work in progress, with a plan expected by the end of the day.
The scene at airports is chaotic, with large crowds and anxious travelers. TSA staff are shouting through megaphones to tell people not to push one another.
As one observer noted, “The last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country.”
The move is seen as a way for Trump to take away a “leverage point” for Democrats and make travel easier for the American people.
Meanwhile, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the plan, saying it’s not what the American people need.
And so, the partial government shutdown continues, with no end in sight.
Author: Evan Null
