Amid the start of the summer travel season, the Trump administration reportedly plans to reassign hundreds of Transportation Security Administration employees to help assist with migrant inflows.
The TSA workers, which include air marshals, will be temporarily reassigned to help tackle the “immediate need” at the southern border, CNN reports. The group will include as many as 175 law enforcement officials and up to 400 security operations officials.
In an email to agency regional management, TSA official Gary Renfrow wrote that the 400 people from security operations will be deployed in waves: “There is now immediate need for more help from TSA at the SW border.”
“We also understand that we are accepting some risk as we enter a very busy summer,” Renfrow reportedly said. Some parts of TSA are being asked to contribute around 10% of its workforce.
Citing the email, CNN said the deployments will last between 45 and 60 days but could last longer. Illegal immigration is surging, with nearly 100,000 people taken into custody by officials in April — the highest number detained in one month since April 2007.
[Opinion: Border shock: 50% surge in gang members, 650,000 illegal immigrants will be freed into US in 2019]
