HOUSTON – ICE officers are now assisting TSA agents with passenger screening as callouts among TSA officers continue to rise amid the ongoing government shutdown.
KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding has learned that ICE agents have received “standard TSA training” and are performing tasks such as “verifying identification using TSA equipment and standard operating procedures.”
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Previously, ICE agents were mainly assisting with crowd control, directing passengers, distributing water, and providing additional support.
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NEW STATEMENT FROM DHS
“TSA is extremely grateful to the patriotic men and women of ICE who have deployed to airports that are facing a high number of callouts because of the Democrats’ shutdown,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis wrote in a statement. “After receiving standard TSA training curriculum, ICE officers are guarding entrances and exits, assisting with logistics, doing crowd control, and verifying identification using TSA equipment and standard operating procedures.”
Bis emphasized that the additional support is intended to allow TSA officers to focus on screening passengers and help move security lines more efficiently.
Staffing shortages continue to affect airports nationwide.
TSA reported a nationwide callout rate of 11.14% on March 25, with more than 3,120 officers absent. The highest callout rate during the shutdown was 11.76% on March 22.
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Some of the busiest airports are seeing significantly higher callout rates.
Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport reported a 39.2% callout rate on Wednesday, the second highest in the nation.
Hobby Airport had a 31.7% callout rate the same day, ranking fourth in the U.S. Other major airports, including Atlanta and New Orleans, also reported callout rates above 35%.
These staffing shortages have contributed to extended wait times at security checkpoints. On Thursday, travelers at Bush Intercontinental Airport faced waits exceeding four hours.
Federal officials have not indicated how long ICE officers will remain deployed or whether additional personnel will be sent to airports experiencing the highest staffing shortages.
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