On Monday, March 23, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were deployed to several busy U.S. airports as stand-ins for thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents,

The agents have quit or called out after having to work without pay for multiple weeks in light of a partial government shutdown involving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Officers are reportedly monitoring entrances, verifying travelers’ identifications and assisting with crowds and logistics, according to National Public Radio (NPR). However, their lack of proper training for both law enforcement and airport security is frightening some GCSU students.

Hannah Watkins, a freshman biology major, shared her thoughts on the lack of screening for ICE officers and the recent reduction of their training from 8 weeks to 4, along with the removal of Spanish language training altogether.

“You have these people who are violent and are not mentally stable, who should not have access to guns,” Watkins said. “The lack of training is really scary because you don’t know what these people are capable of.”

The partial government shutdown is a result of disputes among Congress regarding the methods of enforcement of immigration laws. Between its two terms, President Trump’s administration currently holds the record for the most government shutdowns under any president, as well as both of the longest shutdowns in history.

“This administration, this president, is the only president that’s had this many shutdowns. He’s had two in both terms so far,” Watkins said. “Now we have another partial shutdown, and that’s why ICE is in our airports, and that is not okay.”

The DHS has now begun the process of paying displaced TSA agents retroactively, but contingent on how many agents return to their former positions, ICE could potentially be a more permanent installation in the near future.

Matheson Sanchez, an associate professor of Criminal Justice, expressed uncertainty about the true implications of ICE’s deployment in TSA’s place.

“As far as crowd control and stuff like that, I think generally they can provide some sense of security,” Sanchez said. “I also just have to question whether or not they will eventually become more of a problem than they are a solution.”

Sanchez noted the dangers of the agency’s apparent impunity in recent months, questioning whether the true intention behind their presence in airports has more to do with their original purpose than assisting TSA.

“Are they now going to be sort of pursuing their other, more primary mission of locating individuals that are here undocumented?” he said. “Then the cynical question would be, of course, was that the goal all along? I don’t know the answer to that.”

Sanchez feels there is a possibility that this could be the beginning of a larger-scale deployment of ICE to busy, populated areas, such as banks or universities.

“I just wonder if this is the weirdest place we’re going to see ice deployed to or not. The term slippery slope comes to mind, for sure,” he said.

Since the events of 9/11, the government, specifically the DHS, has been heavily geared toward ensuring the safety of our country through the management and monitoring of airports. However, some students feel that safety is now being threatened.

“People are afraid of them, and they won’t go to their job if they know that ICE is going to be there,” said Allister Stuchel, a sophomore environmental justice major. “If people stop showing up, then the airport is going to suffer.”

Stuchel believes that in addition to scaring workers and travelers away from airports, ICE’s presence is generally synonymous with violence and chaos in any crowded, bustling area they may be deployed to next.

“ICE being anywhere is a major disruption for whatever’s supposed to be going on there,” he said.

Though it is unclear what the future holds for federal involvement in airport security, the length and results of the shutdown may impact the current system. 

For more information on the government shutdown, students can stay updated through their preferred news source and the official website of the United States government, usa.gov.