Donald Trump said Saturday he will deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to US airports on Monday if an agreement isn’t reached to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid a partial government shutdown.
It is unclear what function the ICE agents would perform since they’re not trained in airport security screening. TSA screeners have a several months-long training period before they’re on the job, though airline employees and private security companies have partnered on line controlling and guarding exit doors.
The agents could potentially help in more limited roles — like managing lines, directing passengers or helping move people through the checkpoint process — to free up trained TSA officers for critical security functions.
At least they gave some potential thing that they could do, because frankly I was having trouble coming up with what.
Just disband TSA and DHS and go back to airports doing their own security. TSA has never been anything but security theater pork barrel politics.
ok, so now you go through the metal detector at gun point? I guess that will make me look harder for change in my pockets before.
I don’t think this will significantly speed up anything. Surely they need a clean up delay each time they waste a passenger.
Honestly? If it means more ICE off the streets harassing decent people and stuck doing boring-ass airport security, then let’s go. There are only so many ICE guys to go around. It’s not the infinite respawn that he seems to think it is.
Isn’t he basically admitting that ICE is his private paramilitary organization?
We passed that point about a year ago afair…
What a fucking idiot. I’m sure he doesn’t realize that the federal government doesn’t own or operate civilian transport hubs. More than half the states who fucking hate ICE will not allow this.
Then he’s going to try and pull the lever of removing TSA agents from airports, but guess what? PEOPLE WOULD LOVE THAT! The TSA bullshit airport has only been a thing since 2002. So many people don’t remember being able to just get in a flight, or walk/depart/meet people at the gate when they depart/arrive.
If anything bad happens as a circumstance of him doing that, then that’s on him and all the dipshits who enable this fucker.
Any airport in the US is effectively federal property because the TSA does security in all airports, the FAA controls most surface movement and all takeoffs and landings, and in International airports, the CBP controls the port of entry.
And I hate to break it to you but removing the TSA doesn’t mean we revert back to pre 9/11 days. Security at airports is still governed by the Aircraft Operator Standard Security Program which defines the screening requirements, but not necessarily who must complete them.
Trump will be under a lot of pressure from capital not to do this, I suspect, because it would absolutely crater tourism.
Assuming he TACOs, and dems hold strong (sob), I would be looking for one of two scenarios.
Most likely, airports revert to post 9/11-pre TSA setup. Same basic experience, and probably even the same people, but a different uniform. Remember Huntleigh? Argenbright? You may still see these logos on the arms of wheelchair pushers or janitorial staff, but for a long, long time, they operated the checkpoints too. Between maybe the late 80s and up until 9/11, there was still screening but it was much more lax. Basic screening was likely introduced after Pan Am flight 103, and while there were metal detectors and x-rays, anyone could go through, which is what made all the sappy last minute airport reunion scenes possible.
After 9/11, the AOSSP was updated again with much more stringent security requirements, but at first the screening was still done by those vendors - provided at least one specially trained airline representative Ground Security Coordinator was present at the checkpoint. I was a GSC once upon a time, and I don’t think the TSA took over all of the checkpoints until maybe 2005. Though I’m not still current on the AOSSP, I’m fairly certain all of the policy that would enable a complete reversion back to this model is still in place. Airlines at each airport would share the cost of the contract.
Back then, a bunch of Huntleigh Employees suddenly became TSA employees. We might see a bunch of TSA employees become Huntleigh employees.
Or potentially, Trump will split the difference and just make the TSA screeners ICE employees. That’s probably a LITTLE less likely to spook travelers, so it could be a face saving compromise, but more likely he will do something like the first option and spin it as cutting government bloat and a partnership with job creating business leaders.
Then he’s going to try and pull the lever of removing TSA agents from airports
Yes please and thank you!
Don’t threaten me with a good time
This is not the threat this idiot may think it is.
Ooh…. ICE at the airport? Sounds like a good opportunity to let them know our opinion of them.
Oh goodie, making tourism and its resulting spending even LESS likely! #winning!!!
The Art of How to Fuck Up Biden’s Economy, Which Was the Envy of the World
– John Barron
Call his bluff
This is TERRIBLE! Transportation CEOS gave Trump MILLIONS and he’s RUINING their Businesses!
-Republicans but UNIRONICALLY!
TACO
