TSA Agents Being Asked To Support Operations At US-Mexico Border

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Above: A TSA agent at the San Diego International Airport, Jan. 25, 2019.

Emails received by KPBS show more than 250 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees have volunteered to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection efforts at the U.S.-Mexico border. TSA workers from San Diego are being asked to volunteer for jobs ranging from transportation, security, and healthcare.

TSA employees will not be conducting immigration duties at ports of entry.

A TSA spokesperson said the agency is assisting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

"TSA, like all DHS components, is supporting the DHS effort to address the humanitarian and security crisis at the southwest border. TSA is in the process of soliciting volunteers to support this effort while minimizing operational impact."

A few hundred agents could end up being sent to the border, representing less than 1% of the TSA's 60,000 employees. Emails show DHS is also looking for agents to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In today's San Diego News Matters podcast: Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have cautioned against accepting a church-sponsored program to financially compensate them. Also in the show: While President Trump pushes Congress to create a new military branch called the Space Force, the Pentagon is about to choose a permanent home for its existing Space Command. And to ... Read more →

Aired: May 17, 2019 | Transcript

Aired 5/17/19 on KPBS News

To help address the flow of migrants at the U.S. Mexico border the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is tapping it’s partner agencies — including the TSA.

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Matt Hoffman
General Assignment Reporter

opening quote marks closing quote marks I am a general assignment reporter for KPBS. In addition to covering the latest news and issues that are relevant to the San Diego community, I like to dig deeper to find the voices and perspectives that other media often miss.