Over 1,000 US TSA officers have left since start of shutdown, DHS says

Major airport delays affect passengers, with security waits reaching several hours at some locations

Photo: Reuters

Over 1,000 US Transportation Security Administration officers have left the agency since the start of the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown that began in mid-February, the DHS said on Monday.

Here are some details:

• The figure stood at 460 in the last week of March and more than 780 as of last week, the DHS said.

• The lengthy government shutdown this spring forced the 50,000 TSA workers to go without pay for six weeks, resulting in major disruptions, including airport security waits extending four hours or more at some airports.

• TSA employees handle ⁠screening at nearly all US airports.

• Democrats have held up funding for DHS, which oversees TSA, while demanding a change in rules governing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which is also part of DHS.

• ICE has been the face of Republican President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown that rights advocates and Democrats have criticized over what they call violations of free speech and due process rights.

• Rights advocates also say the crackdown has created an unsafe environment, particularly for minorities.

• Trump casts the crackdown as necessary to improve domestic security and reduce illegal immigration.

• Earlier this month, Trump proposed to privatise much of TSA's operations and cut nearly 10,000 employees.