Governor supports ICE agents assisting at airports amid TSA staffing crisis.

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón

By THE STAR STAFF

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón expressed support on Sunday for the deployment of federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at airports, citing the federal government shutdown that has left Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees without pay.

“I believe this is the right course of action,” the governor stated during a press conference in San Germán for the opening of the bridge over the Guanajibo River on PR-102. “And if it hadn’t been them, it would have been the National Guard. Why? Because you have a problem. Everyone planning to travel has to arrive at the security line nearly four hours in advance.”

“In the case of the airport here, the government of Puerto Rico — through the Tourism Company — had to set up tents outside the terminal so that people queuing outdoors wouldn’t be left exposed to the elements,” she noted. “So, I think it is regrettable that there is a political battle over funding allocations for the TSA, because we are talking about federal employees who are doing their jobs but aren’t getting paid. And every one of them has bills to pay — their mortgage, their car payments, groceries, and their children’s school tuition. Therefore, using public agencies and employees — in this case, at the federal level—as pawns in political wars harms both the United States economy and the economy of Puerto Rico.”

González Colón said it was her understanding that the ICE agents would be deployed specifically to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (LMM) in Carolina.

“But that is a positive development, because these are concrete actions that provide real assistance to passengers,” she added.

Since March 1, TSA employees have not received payment for their work, a situation that has triggered widespread absenteeism and resignations (see related story on page 5). For instance, at LMM, security lines are currently exceeding three hours in length, stretching all the way out to the sidewalk in front of the terminal.