I have been a Transportation Security Administration officer for almost 19 years. During that time, I have experienced several furloughs; however, they were never so lengthy as those of the last two years.
The furloughs, caused by congressional disagreement over how federal immigration officers should conduct the inhumane task of deporting undocumented immigrants — whose major offense has been working odd jobs that no Americans ever wished to perform — should never have happened.
Instead of worrying about how it’s possible that the president could declare war on a sovereign nation without congressional approval, our well-paid members of Congress keep debating issues that should never be debated in a democratic society: whether law enforcement officers should have identification, whether their faces should be covered with balaclavas and whether they should have body cameras to track their actions.
Furthermore, it is unethical to enjoy two weeks of paid vacation for Easter while expecting TSA officers to keep working without being paid. To perform such an important job — in which the safety of thousands of passengers depends on the skill and attention of security officers — we should not be overworked and constantly stressed about daily expenses.
I appeal to anybody reading this letter to call and urge their representatives to approve a budget and stop playing with the lives of TSA officers and airline passengers.
— Idhan Tahirovic, Chicago
TSA agents deserve support
No matter what one’s feelings are, Transportation Security Administration officers are keeping us safe. They are like the rest of us millions of Americans. They have families and bills to pay, and not being paid is a horrendous blow. My feeling is those folks that perform such a critical function should be helped. It’s time for the airlines and even the states to lend a helping hand.
We stepped in and helped millions of immigrants who came to our country with nothing; we have emergency institutions that give relief to the needy. Heck, why not call it a loan until our politicians can come to an agreement to help those folks at the time of their need?
— Bob Angone, Austin, Texas
Solutions for TSA pay
What is going on right now at airports is completely unacceptable. People’s long-planned vacations and business events are being ruined by missed flights. I don’t know how anyone who is infirm or has small children can stand in line for hours. I am worried that I may not be able to do that for my upcoming trip. What if more Transportation Security Administration agents quit? There are possible solutions even if Congress cannot agree on current legislation.
1. Congress provides emergency money to pay TSA agents and air controllers. This money could be paid back once they receive their federal pay.
2. Congress could separate budget categories for transportation and immigration enforcement, which are, after all, very different things, so that this problem does not happen ever again.
3. States could pay TSA agents as a loan to be paid back when their regular pay arrives. If the amount is too overwhelming, states could give them half their pay, and that might be enough to carry them through till the end of the problem.
4. The National Guard could be employed to do many TSA tasks. Yes, you need training to understand what you see in an X-ray, but you do not need a lot of training to help load things onto conveyor belts, remove trays, direct people, etc. Use the National Guard or temporary personnel to handle these things and let the TSA agents focus on the X-rays. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be much too intimidating and probably aggressive.
We have to make sure that this does not happen again. Something must be done. About 400 TSA agents have quit already, and I’m sure more will. The problem isn’t just because of this incident, but because of repeated incidents.
In order to hire more people to replace these agents, new agents must be assured that their income and lives will not be repeatedly disrupted. There must be a different funding plan for the future.
This is a crisis that cannot wait or be limited by political differences.
— Joyce Porter, Oak Park
President for the people
President Donald Trump could release funds immediately for Transportation Security Administration agents, to stop the chaos for travelers across the country. He won’t, but he will spend government money freely to surround himself with pretty and mostly gaudy gold trim upgrades.
We need a president for the people who doesn’t use bully politics.
— Mike Magliane, Chicago
Separate pay from DHS
In Paul Vallas’ recent op-ed (“Why both parties are failing our national security workforce,” March 23), he states that “Democrats must stop using the budget process to litigate immigration policy.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not abiding by our constitutional law. Agents do not have warrants; they are abducting, jailing — and sometimes killing — American citizens. Some citizens are just on their way home and get caught up in the calamity caused by ICE. Our police force is not allowed to do the same illegal acts that ICE has done.
How can the Democrats stop reckless enforcement of our immigration laws — other than refusing to pay for it?
We all want immigration reform. However, we do not want more reckless abduction, beating and killing in our streets by ICE to accomplish it. Democrats have tried to fund the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies by pushing for clean funding bills that separate TSA pay from the Department of Homeland Security. But Republicans keep voting that down.
It is time to agree on commonsense reforms for ICE — the same ones that the Chicago Police Department has to adhere to.
— Marie C. Slowinski, Oak Lawn
A small pain to accept
The pain of higher gas prices is certainly real, but those who are against the war with Iran because it costs more to drive their car are foolishly shortsighted. Can those Americans even contemplate the nightmare of a nuclear attack by Iran on an American city?
The Iranian government was getting dangerously close to having a nuclear weapon, and its ballistic missile program was more advanced than previously thought. This same Iranian government has been chanting “Death to America” since 1979 and has made no secret of its dream of destroying our nation.
President Donald Trump could not wait until Iran had an actual nuclear bomb in its hands before we acted. Americans should understand that higher gas prices are a small pain to accept in return for not having millions of Americans incinerated in a nuclear Iranian attack.
— David Howard, Rockford
Ask Middle Eastern allies
If we are going to continue the war with Iran, I’d like to ask the administration to request funding from our oil- and cash-rich Middle Eastern allies — Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — to help pay for it.
“America First” supporters had no issue accusing our NATO partners of not paying their fair share for war and defense. Why should this be any different?
— Robert Tompkins, Bannockburn
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