White House border czar pushed back against CNN’s Dana Bash Sunday morning after she asked Homan how “well-thought-out” a new plan to send immigration officers to help TSA agents could be.
Homan took questions on “State of the Union” regarding President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to across the country with hourslong lines caused by staffing shortages during the ongoing partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.
Homan confirmed he was working with the directors of ICE and the TSA to construct “a well-thought-out plan to execute” for ICE officers by the afternoon.
“With respect, if you’re doing this in 24 hours, how well-thought-out could it possibly be?” Bash asked.
“ICE has been at airports across the country for a long time. It’s just expanding those things,” Homan responded, adding, “How much of a plan does it mean to guard an exit to make sure no one comes through that exit?”
“I mean, we’re talking about security options. And these officers are well-trained in security, and they’re well-trained in identification. And, look, we’re going to do what we can to help TSA move those people through the line,” Homan said.
Homan emphasized that he believes ICE agents will largely be used to relieve TSA agents of security measures based on enforcement that agents already execute at airports rather than screenings.
“I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine, because we’re not trained in that. But there are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them in the specialized jobs to help move those lines,” Homan said.
In a statement to the DHS defended Trump’s plan to counter the Democrats’ “pointless, reckless shutdown.”
“While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted. This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions,” the statement read.
TSA agents have gone without pay for over a month as Trump and Republicans battle with Democrats over funding for the DHS and ICE enforcement. TSA officers are considered essential employees and are required to report to work even , though pay can be delayed.
Airports across the country have reported huge numbers of employees calling out sick or not showing up for work. More than 400 TSA employees have quit their jobs.
