ICE agents at US airports amid TSA staff shortages for shutdown
TSA faces a mounting staffing crisis due to an ongoing partial government shutdown, leaving thousands of federal employees without pay
ATT Desk Report 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to 14 major US airports to assist with security operations as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) faces a mounting staffing crisis due to an ongoing partial government shutdown that began February 14, leaving thousands of federal employees without pay, reports international news agency CNN.
Growing chaos at airports
The absence of TSA officers has resulted in severe disruptions nationwide. Over 3,400 TSA agents called out sick on Sunday alone, with some airports reporting absenteeism rates exceeding 40 percent. At Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, 42.3 percent of TSA staff were absent, while Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reported 41.5 percent absenteeism. Passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were warned to expect waiting times exceeding four hours.
The crisis prompted airports to advise travellers to arrive three to four hours before flights. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) noted that some passengers have resorted to sleeping at airports to avoid missing flights due to extended delays.
ICE role
ICE agents have been deployed to assist with "non-specialised security functions," allowing TSA personnel to focus on aviation security screening. White House border tsar Tom Homan indicated that ICE agents would help with crowd control and, according to President Donald Trump, could also conduct immigration enforcement, calling airports "fertile territory" for arrests.
The deployment has drawn sharp criticism. Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, warned that ICE agents lack adequate training for airport security roles and risk profiling passengers based on race or accent. "What could possibly go wrong? We've seen this movie before," he stated.
Political deadlock
The shutdown stems from a political impasse, with Democrats refusing to fund DHS without restrictions on ICE operations following incidents involving agent misconduct. Republicans have rejected Democratic proposals to fund TSA separately while negotiations continue.
With no resolution in sight, TSA agents face missing their second paycheck on Friday, coinciding with Congress's scheduled two-week recess.
