Tip Sheets
Different training, different mission: ICE for TSA may lead to ‘poor results’
March 23, 2026
Media Contact
Adam Allington
President Trump said he is sending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports Monday. Travelers were warned to expect worsening airport wait times as TSA workers go without pay after funding for DHS lapsed in mid-February.
Cathy Creighton
Director of Cornell University ILR Buffalo Co-Lab
Cathy Creighton, director of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab, says even though TSA and ICE employees both fall under the Department of Homeland Security, they are trained for very different jobs.
Creighton says:
“ICE is not trained to do the same work as TSA. TSA workers are not law enforcement officers, and they do not carry firearms. TSA workers are in direct contact with the public and do no act as police officers. ICE officers carry firearms and have been trained as law enforcement.
“As recent events around the U.S. indicate, ICE agents have been trained for the work that the administration wants done, which has resulted ICE agents acting aggressively in public situations. It is not clear how that behavior will work in crowded and confined airports.
“It would seem that a softer, deescalating of tensions approach would work best, but ICE agents are not acting as though they are trained for de-escalation. Employee training is critical for proper performance of a job, and putting ICE officers to do TSA work could lead to poor results. Additionally, the public perception of ICE is poor. Multiple public polling has found that public support for ICE has declined markedly.”
