PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Union leaders and city officials gathered outside City Hall on Thursday to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents leave Philadelphia International Airport.
ICE agents were deployed to more than a dozen airports across the country on Monday to deal with the ongoing Transportation Security Administration staff shortage.
“ICE is not built for running airports. They’re not trained for it. They’re not even trained for what they’re doing in the field right now,” said Phil Glover, national vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents TSA workers.
He said Congress is holding TSA workers hostage during talks over funding the Department of Homeland Security.
Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks said having TSA at the airport is a recipe for “violence, chaos and fear.”
U.S. senators are expected to vote on Thursday on a Republican proposal that would fund TSA and much of DHS, except enforcement and removal operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, it is expected to fail. Democrats argue the GOP plan doesn’t include enough guardrails on federal officers engaged in immigration sweeps.
The 41-day stalemate has put the livelihoods of TSA officers at risk as they provide airport security without pay.
Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates, and more than 480 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown.
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks County) is proposing a bipartisan bill that would fund TSA, and it includes what he calls “common sense” ICE reforms, including a ban on ICE agents wearing masks. It would be coupled with increased fines for doxing federal agents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
