TSA Issues Greet Students Who Traveled for Spring Break

Last week, University of Northern Colorado students took a pause from their studying for spring break. Students who traveled found themselves face-to-face with Transportation Security Administration issues, unpredictable travel times and thoughts about how the current administration is handling gaps in the TSA workforce.

“It’s kind of scary, frankly,” UNC senior Conner Craven said. “It’s not a good situation.”

In February, the United States Senate failed to pass the budget resulting in partial government shutdowns that continue to impact the American people. The Department of Homeland Security has been operating under partial funding since the budget failed to pass, leaving many TSA employees without pay. To Kate Axtell, an elementary education major, the idea of working without pay doesn’t sit so well.

“I think it is very commendable that they’re still working, even though they are not getting paid,” Axtell said. “I could not be a TSA agent if I was not getting a check at the end of the month.”

Although certain TSA employees have continued to work without pay, others have opted to skip work until they receive their payment. The DHS is working to improve the situation and yesterday the acting administrator of TSA, Ha Nguyen McNeill testified to congress on behalf of TSA.

“TSA employees work at over 430 commercial airports, living within your communities, not getting paid for performing incredibly challenging and taxing jobs. Many Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) work paycheck to paycheck trying to support themselves and their families,” McNeill said in a statement. “During a shutdown, the ability to pay for rent, bills, groceries, childcare, and gas becomes very challenging––the dedicated public servants that work within DHS and TSA deserve better and to be paid.”

As TSA employees are struggling to pay their bills, their absence within airports across the country have created unpredictable travel times for UNC students who faced delays in their traveling schedules.

“Some of my friends went to Cancun and they had some problems,” Axtell said. “I know they had to go there six hours early to fly. It took them four hours to get through TSA.”

The TSA staff shortages are varied from one city to another which creates delays that are specific to individual travelers.

“One of my friends had to fly back from Albuquerque, but he got stuck for like six hours in the airport in Mississippi, just because they didn’t have any TSA,” Craven said. “So yeah, what was like a few hour flight turned into an entire day affair.”

To combat delays, ICE agents have been placed in many airports to fill in roles previously filled by TSA employees. This decision has caused unrest and frustration for some individuals especially because of immigration conflicts caused by ICE within the U.S. earlier this year.

“I don’t think ICE should be in airports because to be in the airport and travel you do have to have the legal documentation anyways, and we don’t need people being scared to travel,” Axtell said. “Especially when they are already scared to travel because of the TSA lines and everything that is happening. They are not being helpful.”

UNC students are home from their spring break trips, but airports will never stop being filled with travelers.

“TSA does not have the luxury of time,” McNeill said. “The FIFA World Cup is kicking off on June 11 – less than three months away. We are anticipating a significant influx in passenger volume as fans travel through our airports to see the games––the safety and security of Americans and the traveling public must not continue to be threatened by budget uncertainties.”