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TSA Plans to Send Hundreds to the Border

Airport security screeners not said to be part of that group
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted May 15, 2019 1:32 PM CDT
TSA Plans to Send Hundreds to the Border
In this April 5, 2019, photo, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle sits near the a section of the US border wall with Mexico in Calexico, Calif.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Summer is looming, but a number of Transportation Security Administration workers will soon head not to airports but to the US-Mexico border. CNN first reported the news by way of an internal email it viewed from Gary Renfrow to regional TSA management. In it, Renfrow cited the "immediate need for more help from TSA at the SW border" said TSA would respond with "400 people from Security Ops," deployed for a period of roughly 45 to 60 days. Some air marshals could reportedly also be sent. "We also understand that we are accepting some risk as we enter a very busy summer," he wrote.

A rep for the TSA had this to say: "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." Airport security screeners aren't expected to be pulled from their jobs; those who work for federal security directors or carry out inspections at airports may be considered. USA Today spoke with a senior TSA official who says those who head to the border will engage in support work like meal prep and the processing of asylum claims, giving Customs and Border Protection officers and agents more time to process migrants. (More TSA stories.)

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