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ICE agents deployed at Philadelphia International Airport amid TSA shortages during partial shutdown

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Dan Snyder
Dan Snyder
Dan Snyder, a Lehighton native and Temple University graduate, is excited to return to his home area after spending over three years as the Evening Anchor in Oklahoma City.
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Dan Snyder,
Brandon Goldner
Brandon Goldner
Brandon Goldner is an award-winning reporter/multiskilled journalist for CBS News Philadelphia, where he primarily covers South Jersey.
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Brandon Goldner,
Will Kenworthy

/ CBS Philadelphia

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were deployed to Philadelphia International Airport on Monday to help with Transportation Security Administration operations amid the ongoing partial government shutdown, sources told CBS News Philadelphia.

Plainclothes ICE agents received training at the airport Monday, according to sources.

"We don't like the idea of ICE people coming to the airport," Richard Gennetti, a representative of the American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing TSA officers, said. "They're not trained for this work, and frankly, they scare the public. We don't want to scare the public at the airport. We want the travel experience to be a positive one. We don't want these people, who are not trained to do it, and now have a damaged reputation, confronting the public. Who knows what would happen?"

Gennetti added they are not happy with the arrival of ICE agents at the airport. 

"We don't think that it's appropriate for them," he said. "They don't have a place at the airport. It's not the place to intimidate people. It's not the place to scare people. We don't want anybody injured, we don't want anybody bullied. We don't want people pushed around."

The deployment comes as TSA continues to deal with staffing shortages, leading to long lines at airports. TSA officers are not getting paid during the shutdown. Hundreds have been resigning or calling out of work as Congress continues to fail to reach a deal to fund the TSA's parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security.

Nearly 25% of TSA officers called out Sunday in Philadelphia and 11.76% nationwide,  reported. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Sunday that TSA staffing shortages could get worse later this week.

"We're anticipating a huge increase in turnover, and there's even talk about mass resignations coming up in the near future," Gennetti said.

President Trump said over the weekend his administration would send ICE agents to airports hit hard by TSA staffing shortages.

Immigration agents began deploying to several airports across the country Monday. ICE agents were seen patrolling the lines outside security checkpoints at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Agents were also photographed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. They'll also be at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, CBS New York reported.

Allegheny County Airport Authority told CBS Pittsburgh that ICE agents are expected to arrive at Pittsburgh International Airport.

White House border czar Tom Homan, who is overseeing the move, told reporters that ICE could help with security at exits and focus on screenings.

"Their No. 1 mission there, as the president said, is to help TSA with security, to help move the flow of people through those lines," Homan said.

Homan said ICE agents are at 14 airports throughout the country and could expand depending on how long the shutdown goes on.

Mr. Trump's decision to deploy ICE agents to airports has been met with backlash, with some arguing they lack the proper training.

In a statement to CBS News, Everett Kelly, the president of the AFGE, said that TSA officers undergo specific training that ICE agents lack.

TSA officers "deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be," Kelly said in a statement.

New Jersey's Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill said by deploying ICE agents to airports, the president is creating "chaos."

"Trump's ICE has a track record of making communities less safe, and sending untrained ICE agents to staff our airports is not an acceptable solution," Sherrill said in a statement. "Instead, it's time for Donald Trump and Washington Republicans to do their jobs and fund TSA."

U.S. Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman, who both represent Pennsylvania, called on Congress to fund the DHS.

McCormick, a Republican, blamed Democrats' "shutdown politics" for the TSA staffing crisis.

"Americans are paying the price for Democrats' shutdown politics,"  Sunday. "@TSA officers are working without pay. Travelers at Philadelphia International Airport are feeling the impact. Fund DHS. Pay TSA. Keep Pennsylvania moving."

Fetterman, a Democrat, also called on Congress to end the shutdown.

"This morning at PIT, so many TSA employees expressed their appreciation for standing with them and shared their financial hardship,"  Sunday morning. "End this ridiculous DHS shutdown NOW. Pay these hardworking TSA agents and all DHS employees who collectively keep our country more secure."

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