SEATAC, Wash. — Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have worked without pay for 36 days during the ongoing government shutdown.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could be deployed to the airport as early as Monday to provide security and assist with screening lines, according to President Donald Trump.
The potential arrival of ICE agents follows a period where TSA officers have received no paychecks despite remaining on duty. While airport management stated they expect operations to continue as normal, union representatives for both TSA officers and flight attendants expressed concern over the impact the shutdown and the potential new deployment could have on the workforce.
Jawann Howard, a TSA officer and vice president for the TSA Union AFGE, noted that morale among his colleagues is “extremely low.”
“People are hurting and struggling bad,” Howard said.
He described a fellow officer who was forced to spend her last $24 on gasoline because the agency is “getting zero paychecks now.”
Howard addressed reports that ICE agents could be assigned to work at the airport as early as Monday. He noted that while the newly deployed agents would be receiving their salaries, TSA staff are still waiting for compensation.
“They’ll be getting paid and we are told to come on in to work and we’ll get it eventually,” Howard said. “But it’s a slap in the face. How about they do their job, and we get paid?”
The presence of ICE agents has also caused concern among other airport employees, including flight attendants.
Paula Isla-McGill serves as the president of Council 19 for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA for Alaska Airlines.
Isla-McGill, who is an immigrant, said the situation is “just so wrong” on a human level.
“And I know the very real fear that just the color of my skin puts me at a different level of danger,” Isla-McGill said.
Howard emphasized that despite the financial strain, officers are attempting to maintain their professional duties. However, he cautioned that the current situation is difficult for staff to sustain indefinitely.
“People are trying to hang in there and show up to work, but you know, I hate to even say this, but at some point, there’s gotta be a breaking point,” Howard said.
Union leaders said they hope federal officials recognize the difficulties facing those tasked with maintaining airport security.
Howard noted that agents are currently balancing their professional responsibilities with basic needs.
“We just want Congress to know why we are there and understand that it is difficult trying to keep the public safe when we are trying to figure out if my kids are going to eat tonight,” Howard said. “Am I going to eat tonight?”