Sky Harbor TSA agent says ICE was escorted like ‘royalty,’ told to shadow unpaid workers

PHOENIX — Armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been deployed to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as TSA agents work without pay for a 44th day, with some screeners being asked to let newly arrived federal officers shadow them at security checkpoints.

Martina Santana, a TSA agent at Sky Harbor, said that ICE agents arrived with little warning and were given a hero’s welcome

“They showed up the next morning with all their tactical gear, all their vests, all their guns, everything,” Santana told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Tuesday. “They kind of were escorted like they were royalty walking in the door.”

Santana said TSA workers overheard comments thanking ICE for “picking up the slack for TSA” and saying travelers felt safer with them there, which she found hurtful.

“I feel like it’s a stab at us,” she said.

44 days without pay as partial government shutdown drags on

President Donald Trump ordered ICE personnel to assist with airport security nationwide as TSA has seen a spike in resignations and absences during the funding impasse, forcing checkpoint closures. At Sky Harbor, two of Terminal 4’s four security checkpoints closed last week.

The airport opened a donation center to support federal employees working without pay and advised travelers to arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights.

“We expect all federal officers will operate in accordance with law and in a manner that is consistent with the customer service standards PHX is known for,” Sky Harbor officials said in a statement.

Arizona U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego called Trump’s plan “a disaster waiting to happen.”

“It’s going to continue scaring tourists from traveling here, hurting local small businesses and American workers the most,” Gallego said Sunday on X.

The partial government shutdown, the third in six months, has left TSA as the only major federal agency with workers not receiving paychecks.

Democrats refused to approve full Department of Homeland Security funding without ICE policy reforms, while Republicans have blocked proposals to fund TSA and other DHS functions separately from ICE.

Amid political bickering, TSA agents try to survive

Santana, a single mother of three, said she has resorted to taking side jobs cleaning offices for $80 a day and relying on coworkers who slip her $20 bills for gas money.

“I’m struggling, struggling again,” she said. “Still haven’t caught up from the last time.”

The toll on TSA workers extends beyond finances.

Santana described her stress level as “a 10 out of 10” and said a colleague recently suffered a panic attack on the job that required emergency medical care. Meanwhile, Santana said stress and high blood pressure caused her to develop a burst blood vessel in her eye.

“It’s slowly growing and it’s getting worse,” she said.

Despite a $10,000 retention bonus offered to TSA employees, Santana said she has applied for jobs at the state motor vehicle department and at stadium catering operations. She added the sentiment among her coworkers has become resigned.

“I’ll be here until I can’t,” she said. “That’s what we would say.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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