A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at New York’s LaGuardia Airport says the pressure inside airport security has deepened as unpaid work, staffing losses, and the recent deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel have collided with operational disruption at one of the nation’s busiest airports. In an interview with Curbed, Kyle Pigott, a TSA officer at LaGuardia and vice president of Local 2222, described a workforce strained by missed paychecks and growing fatigue during the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapse.
Pigott said some workers have turned to unemployment benefits, food stamps, and loans while continuing to report for duty. His account came as LaGuardia was also dealing with the fallout from a fatal runway collision involving an Air Canada Express jet and a fire truck, which shut down airport operations and added to delays and cancellations. The broader crisis has also been documented by Reuters, which reported that more than 500 TSA officers left the agency during the shutdown, and by testimony from Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, who told lawmakers that staffing shortages were hurting checkpoint operations across the country.
TSA Staffing Strain At Laguardia Reflects A Wider Airport Security Crisis
Pigott told Curbed that the job stress has become harder to manage as more officers call out or leave entirely, forcing those still on shift to handle growing passenger volume with fewer people. His account aligns with McNeill’s congressional testimony, in which she said unpaid TSA employees were facing severe financial hardship and that attrition was making it harder for the agency to maintain normal screening operations.
AP News also reported that checkpoint closures and lane consolidation were already disrupting passenger flow at major airports, while Reuters said absentee rates climbed sharply before workers began receiving retroactive pay. At LaGuardia, those staffing problems landed on top of the airport disruption caused by the recent fatal incident, which forced a runway closure and reduced operations even after service began to recover. The combined effect left travelers facing long waits while officers on the ground tried to keep screening moving under unusually strained conditions.
ICE Airport Deployment And Traveler Delays Remain Central To The Story
The Curbed interview also highlighted the federal decision to deploy ICE personnel to airports during the TSA staffing crunch. Pigott said the presence of ICE did not solve the underlying problem and argued that the officers were not trained to do core TSA work. Federal officials have framed the deployment differently. ICE officers were brought in to support airport security operations as callouts increased, and Homeland Security personnel were deployed to 14 airports, with plans to remain in place until conditions improved.
For travelers, Pigott’s advice in Curbed was direct – arrive early for morning departures and expect more pressure during peak periods. That guidance aligned with the broader message from airports and federal agencies during the crisis. Major airports were urging passengers to allow several extra hours as lines remained unpredictable even after emergency pay was authorized.
