ICE not coming to Logan Airport or any New England airports to help TSA with wait times, Boston union says

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will not be coming to Logan Airport in Boston or any airports in New England to help TSA agents with passenger wait times, according to the head of the local TSA Officers Union.

ICE agents were sent to assist TSA agents at some airports Monday, such as Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, as delays and security staffing shortages intensified nationwide because of the partial government shutdown.

TSA operations at Logan Airport in Boston were functioning normally Monday, according to a spokesperson for Massport, which runs the airport.

President Trump said Saturday in a post on Truth Social that ICE agents will assist TSA workers at airports this week if Democrats didn't immediately agree to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

There's been no official announcement yet on which airports will be getting that help.

"We have been notified that ICE will not be coming to any New England airports," Mike Gayzagian, the President of TSA Officers Union in New England, said in a statement Monday.

"As of this morning, no ICE agents have been seen at any of the checkpoints. However, we continue to monitor the situation, and wait to see if this changes at some point during the week. We maintain there is no urgent need for their assistance because New England airports continue to remain stable." 

TSA agents at Logan Airport have been working without pay during the partial government shutdown, but the wait times in Boston have been lower than many other airports. There are about 1,000 TSA employees working at Logan. Gayzagian said morale is extremely low. 

"People are really sad that they may be faced with the fact that they have to leave the agency because they're not being paid and they can't afford to stay," he told CBS News Boston in an interview Monday.

"I think it's terrible they have to work without pay. It's not fair. Very grateful they are doing the work they are because it helps us all be safer," said Logan passenger Molly Myers.

Fellow traveler Susan Robinson was in favor of ICE agents coming to the airport.

"I think that's a good use of federal workers as long as they're properly trained," she said.

Gayzagian said that since the government shutdown, 25 TSA workers in New England out of 2,000 total have left the job because they can't afford to work without pay. If this drags on, he fears more will leave.

"The reality is, people have to pay their bills and they've got to get paid," he said. "Our tourist season is starting and on top of that we're going to have April vacation coming and on top of that we have the (Boston) Marathon and you know it just builds and builds and builds."

Gayzagian said workers have missed two full paychecks so far and this Friday will make three. He added that food banks, credit unions, the United Way and other organizations have been very supportive of TSA officers during the shutdown.