TSA agents at Dallas Love Field and DFW International Airport are going to work with no idea when their next paycheck is coming.
Congressional Democrats are pushing for reforms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement by refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security — meaning TSA agents are going without pay again, just months after the longest government shutdown in history.
At some airports, agents are calling out sick in large numbers. Security lines are stretching for hours. The Trump administration has deployed ICE agents to fill some TSA roles.
ICE hasn't been sent to Dallas-area airports, according to Johnny Jones, a TSA officer and local union leader who works at DFW Airport. And according to online wait time trackers Tuesday afternoon, travelers can still get through security in minutes at DFW and Love Field.
Jones told KERA News that managers at local airports are asking for doctor's notes to prevent people from calling in sick. But to him, it's only a matter of time before the delays start happening in North Texas, too.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity.
The loss of pay
My wife and I, we've made some decisions and we've cut things. I've already liquidated our short-term savings to put to put into our operations accounts, so we can go a little further.
But my colleagues never recovered from the previous shutdown. You may get back pay, but there's so many fees that people end up paying, and it just takes them forever to get caught up.
The state of TSA morale
There's a lot of despair in the eyes of my colleagues. They are just so sick and tired of being used as pawns in this whole game. They have lost their confidence in the ability of this government to even be able to do this simple act, which is pay its employees.
Will DFW and Love Field see long security lines?
Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind. It's a mathematical formula. How long can you continue to drive with no gas?
ICE agents performing airport security jobs
Well, I haven't seen it because they're not here, right? But the concern is that they could cause a distraction. If you watch social media, unfortunately, that is what it is. It's a social media distraction.
There's people not even showing up for the flights. There's people not showing up for work because they are afraid that they might be detained or something. There is a whole disaster in the works. It's like, if you've got a fire going, throw some gasoline on it. I don't know if that is the right analogy, but it sparks up additional problems, potentially.
Miranda Suarez is the host of KERA's forthcoming talk show, NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org.
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