The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which serves as the exclusive union for TSA officers, slammed Trump's plan to deploy ICE agents to perform security at airports while officers continue showing up to work without a paycheck.
"ICE agents are not trained or certified in aviation security," AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a statement, stressing that TSA officers go through extensive and specialized training that requires ongoing recertification.
"You cannot improvise that," he said. "Putting untrained personnel at security checkpoints does not fill a gap. It creates one."
Tens of thousands of TSA employees have been working without pay since the partial government shutdown went into effect earlier this year. While the shutdown leaves Homeland Security – which includes TSA – without funding, ICE officers' paychecks were already secured by previous funding.