Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who were brought in to help at Philadelphia International Airport during the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown are expected to leave as soon as Thursday. The agents had been stationed inside terminals to help manage security lines while Transportation Security Administration screeners continued working without pay.
Tracy Borda, interim CEO at PHL, told a City Council budget hearing that the officers had been “very supportive” in the terminals and that “we really had no issues,” according to NBC10 Philadelphia. The outlet reported that the announcement came during Wednesday’s hearing and that the ICE officers were assigned to assist TSA staff with managing lines at security checkpoints.
Local Pushback And Staffing Context
The Philadelphia deployment was part of a broader effort that sent ICE officers to about 14 airports as TSA call-outs climbed during the partial shutdown, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Union leaders and several City Council members objected to the move, with Councilmember Rue Landau arguing that “ICE already makes many Philadelphians feel unsafe to leave their homes or engage with public resources.” Local officials also noted that the officers were mostly visible near screening lanes and exit points rather than performing front-line screening.
Safety Questions And Limits Of ICE’s Role
National coverage has raised concerns that ICE officers do not receive the specialized aviation-security training that TSA screeners undergo and therefore cannot take on core screening duties such as operating X-ray machines or conducting pat-downs, according to AP News. Analysts cited by AP said ICE staff can help with crowd control or monitoring exit lanes but are not a replacement for TSA’s trained workforce. The discussion has underscored how limited a tool immigration agents are when it comes to fixing bottlenecks at security checkpoints.
What Travelers Can Expect
Airport officials and local reporting indicated that PHL saw relatively few delays while ICE officers were assisting, in part because Philadelphia had fewer TSA call-outs than some other airports during the shutdown, The Philadelphia Inquirer noted. The airport said the officers were deployed to support queue management and that operations stayed stable as their assignment wound down. Travelers are still advised to allow extra time at security checkpoints on busy travel days and to keep an eye on airline or airport alerts in case conditions change.
