SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
If you have traveled or at least tried to travel over the past few days, you know that the wait times at airports have been staggering. Some travelers say they have been delayed up to five hours. TSA agents have been working more than a month now without pay due to an ongoing standoff over Homeland Security funding. Democrats in Congress are refusing to fund the department unless the Trump administration agrees to changes over how ICE operates. In the meantime, many TSA agents are calling in sick or quitting rather than keep working without pay. And now, ICE agents have been deployed to some airports across the country to assist the TSA. To give us a sense of how airports around the U.S. are managing all of this, we're joined by Keith Jeffries. He is the former federal security director for TSA at Los Angeles International Airport. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
KEITH JEFFRIES: Thanks, Scott.
DETROW: I mean, just directly, what would you say the biggest security challenges are with this many workers being out, with lines being this long?
JEFFRIES: The biggest challenge is the security risk that it brings to the aviation sector - the crowds, the angst, the stress and the shortage of personnel to get them through from point A to point B safely.
DETROW: And is it fair to say that you're looking at the same dynamics - maybe magnified dynamics - of just what happens to human beings when they're made to wait in a long line, that the temper's going to be higher and that can lead to more problems?
JEFFRIES: Yeah, there's no doubt about that. I mean, it's been years since first TSA rolled out, in 2002. So we haven't had these kind of wait times since then. We are seeing record wait times, even going back to when TSA first rolled out. And that's just unacceptable, not just because people are waiting - they have a job to do. But yeah, don't stand in that line. Figure out a way to work around that mode of transportation for that day.
DETROW: So we're seeing a lot of agents, for one reason or another, not show up to work or take a few days off here and there. Due to the extenuating circumstances, we are seeing these long, long lines. We now have ICE involved at some airports. My understanding is they're not doing direct passenger screening, and the initial reports are the wait times have not gone down at all. Do you have a sense of what these ICE agents are doing at airports?
JEFFRIES: Yeah, I do have a sense of it, and I think that the traveling public is just - they're just not aware. So each airport will be different. I think it would be easier or best, Scott, if I explained to you from the top down. So DHS heard from the president, we want ICE agents in airports. DHS would reach out to TSA in Washington, say, hey, hypothetically, give us your top 10 airports or top 15 airports that have the most callouts, the highest percentage of callouts. Then they say, OK, here's the airports. They want to know what airports they're going to and what's their role going to be?
TSA hopefully told them - I know this is how it's supposed to work - tell the field leaders, the federal security directors in the field, you're getting five agents, Keith. Deploy them as you see fit, or 10 agents. And then I meet with my team in that airport community and talk to them. I'm getting 10 agents that's reporting to work on Monday. I highly recommend crowd control, crowd monitoring and see if that support is there. That's all I would need them for there. However, could they do other things? The short answer is yes - such as exit lanes, would require a little bit of training, possibly some shadowing. I'm not saying I would put them there, but - 'cause you're only going to free up one person. Could they eventually be moved to the ticket/document checker location, where you hand your boarding pass and ID? The answer is yes.
DETROW: What would you recommend as a solution or a step that an airport can take to kind of minimize this?
JEFFRIES: Well, I think the No. 1 thing that it's on the tip of everyone's tongue right now is, we got to get these lawmakers to pass a budget and pay these people. That's step No. 1. Airport directors, they know - constant communication because even the federal employees that are not receiving a paycheck, what we're all after is - when is it going to end? When do you think we're finally going to get paid?
And also, that communication is from the leadership of both the airports, the federal employees. How can we help? What do you need? Don't wait till it's a catastrophe. Let us try to get you some help and support that you need. And you see an outpouring from the communities in many locations, and you still have the 40%-plus callouts. Now, these are people making real-life decisions, and I understand that. But at the same time, you know what? They took an oath. They understand the mission, and they need to be in there to keep that traveling public safe. And I guarantee you 99% of all of those employees are trying their best to do that.
DETROW: We've been talking a lot about the challenge of managing the situation from a staffing point of view. I'm wondering, given your expertise, given your background, what you would say to travelers right now - somebody who's getting on a plane this weekend and is pretty anxious about it?
JEFFRIES: Yeah, the top of the list is you've got to be patient. And the traveling public really needs to understand how much - when they go through and they simply turn to that TSA agent or greet them and say, hey, thanks for being here. I know you're not getting paid, but we appreciate what you're doing to keep us safe. Something as simple as that truly puts a bounce in their step for the rest of their shift. I know that oversimplifies things, but that is the truth. So be courteous. And if you walk into an airport and you're seeing a four-hour wait time, my recommendation - I know airport directors and airlines will probably hate me for this. I'm not standing in line four hours either. I'm turning around going back home. That trip can't be that important.
DETROW: That's Keith Jeffries, former federal security director for TSA at LAX. These days, he is the vice president for the K2 Security Screening Group. Thanks for talking to us.
JEFFRIES: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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