TSA employees have been working without pay during a partial shutdown of DHS over demands to reform immigration enforcement.

TSA employees have been working without pay during a partial shutdown of DHS over demands to reform immigration enforcement.

More than 400 Transportation Security Administration workers have quit since a partial government shutdown that began on Feb. 14 left them working without pay, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Funding was shut off to DHS over demands by Democrats for reforms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection following alleged abuses and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.

There has also been a national callout rate of 10% at TSA on more than half the days of the last week, Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, said Saturday in response to questions.

  • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
    320·
    3 days ago

    There’s no way to quantify that and you know it.

    That’s the same as asking “How many deaths have seatbelts prevented?” Only the ones that didn’t happen…

    Airports are required by law to screen their passengers. If everyone from TSA quits because they’re not getting paid, who do you think is going to replace them? Do you really think it wouldn’t be something worse?

    This partial shutdown is happening because of ICE’s abuses of power, but ICE is still getting paid. This whole situation is beyond fucked up, and you’re choosing to focus on the wrong thing.

    • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
      18·
      3 days ago

      Airports are required by law to screen their passengers.

      Yeah with things like metal detectors. There’s no law requiring a bunch of ineffective humans.

      • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
        26·
        2 days ago

        Who operates the metal detectors? Are you suggesting we replace humans with AI? Who else do you think would replace them? Because it looks like they’d be replaced by ICE…

        Be careful what you fucking wish for

      • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
        14·
        2 days ago

        That ignores all the potential incidents that no one ever attempted because of the deterrent effect of security screenings.

        That’s where the seat belt analogy fails, cause you can still analyze car accidents. Seat belts don’t really deter crashing.

        But a culture of airline permissiveness like you had in the 80s/90s is much more encouraging to would-be skyjackers/saboteurs than one of compulsive security screenings