ICE officers aren’t trained in airport security. Can they help ease long lines?

WASHINGTON — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been deployed to select airports across the country, where they are meant to help mitigate long lines fueled by staffing shortfalls caused by a partial government shutdown. But ICE officers are not trained in aviation safety and their central role in President Donald Trump’s contentious immigration enforcement agenda is raising questions about how effective their assistance might be in easing wait times — and whether it could stoke tensions with travelers. The government has given few details on what immigration officers will do and Trump has suggested that airports were “fertile ground” for immigration enforcement, although he said ICE was only there to help. ICE officers on Monday were seen standing near security lines and checkpoints and so far were not screening passengers. Long wait times continued at some airports. Analysts who follow the industry say there are limits to how much ICE can really assist. An imperfect solution to a staffing crunch Substituting ICE for Transportation Security Administration workers is

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