SEATTLE — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
It’s still unclear whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), as of this reporting Monday.
President Donald Trump ordered ICE officers to airports across the country on Saturday to help with security, but, according to The Port of Seattle, the airport hasn’t received any official notice.
A spokesperson said SEA airport is operating normally, and that security wait times are fine.
“We are aware of the latest news reports that ICE agents may be assigned to provide TSA functions at certain airports. As of Sunday afternoon, operations and security wait times at SEA remain normal,” Perry Cooper, the senior media relations manager for SEA, stated. “SEA, in partnership with TSA and the airlines, already provides staffing for non-screening positions mentioned by the administration as possible jobs for immigration agents. SEA will continue to work with our TSA and airline partners to ensure the airport is prepared to provide a safe and efficient travel experience, and we remain deeply committed to providing a welcoming experience to all travelers.”
TSA employees are without pay due to partial government shutdown
Hundreds of thousands of homeland security workers, including those from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the U.S. Secret Service, and the Coast Guard, have worked without pay since Congress failed to renew funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last month.
TSA workers have been going without pay for weeks as Congress remains deadlocked over Homeland Security funding.
Trump made clear on Sunday that he was going ahead with the plan to have ICE agents assist the TSA by guarding exit lanes or checking passenger IDs unless Democrats agreed to fund the DHS. Democrats are demanding major changes to federal immigration operations and showing no sign of backing down.
“Bad idea,” Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said about the new airport security plan. “What we need to do is, we need to get the DHS issues resolved, we need to get the TSA agents paid. Do you really want to have even additional tensions on top of what we are already facing?”
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 50,000 TSA employees, additionally condemned Trump’s plan, saying in a statement that ICE agents are not trained or certified in aviation security.
“Our members at TSA have been showing up every day, without a paycheck, because they believe in the mission of keeping the flying public safe,” Kelley said Sunday. “They deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be.”
Jawann Howard, a TSA officer and vice president for the TSA Union in Seattle, told KIRO 7 the shutdown has real consequences.
“Because a lady who spent her last $24 on on gas, her last $24, because we’re getting zero paychecks now,” Howard said.
Since Trump announced his temporary resolution, TSA officers said they would be frustrated seeing paid ICE agents working alongside unpaid security staff.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared another concern: the uncertainty passengers face about possible wait times at any airport on any given day. Air travelers are facing security lines lasting several hours due to the partial government shutdown at multiple major airports, including those in New York, Texas, Georgia, and Florida.
As of this reporting, SEA Airport has not seen long security lines, and hasn’t been told to expect the agents.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
Contributing: The Associated Press
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