ICE agents arrive at Cleveland airport
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ICE agents arrived at Cleveland Hopkins International Monday morning, a day after President Trump said he's sending ICE to U.S. airports to assist the Transportation Security Administration.
Why it matters: TSA officers have been working without pay for more than five weeks during the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Driving the news: "These personnel are supporting TSA operations in a non-screening role, including assisting with passenger flow and divesting," Hopkins spokesperson Michele Dynia tells Axios.
- "They are not conducting identification checks or screening passengers. There is no impact to passenger travel or airport operations at this time."
By the numbers: DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said more than 3,400 TSA agents across U.S. airports called out Sunday, an 11.8% absence rate and the highest of the shutdown.
- "President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted," Bis said in a statement. "This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions."
Context: CLE has not seen a significant impact on airport operations, according to Dynia, and has largely avoided the heavy congestion facing airports like Houston and New Orleans as TSA workers call out sick.
- Lines at all three security checkpoints were about 15 minutes Monday morning, per Cleveland.com.
State of play: White House border czar Tom Homan told CNN's "State of the Union" that ICE agents would not operate X-ray machines but could guard exit lanes and check IDs to free up TSA officers.
- It takes four to six months to train and certify TSA officers, per DHS, a process ICE agents have not undergone.
What they're saying: U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Cleveland) said in a statement that the ICE deployment "is a disaster waiting to happen."
- "These are the last individuals the American people want working in an already high-stress travel environment."