Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are no longer stationed at the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Allegheny County Airport Authority spokesman Bob Kerlik said in a statement that airport operations are “unaffected,” but deferred to the Department of Homeland Security for specifics on why ICE was pulled from the airport Tuesday and what their job functions were.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to request for comment Wednesday night.
Amid a partial DHS shutdown that halted paychecks for Transportation Security Administration employees, ICE was deployed to 13 airports across the country, including Pittsburgh International, two weeks ago. TSA was working short staffed after some employees called off work after not being paid and others quit.
President Donald Trump announced that ICE was to help with security checkpoints.
Kerlik previously told TribLive that airport officials were not briefed on exact plans of how ICE would operate in the airport.
The shutdown, which started Feb. 14, stemmed from Democrats’ refusal to fund ICE without policy reforms following January shootings in Minneapolis that killed two U.S. citizens.
Though the congressional stalemate persists, DHS employees are expected to receive paychecks by the end of the week following a presidential memorandum, according to CBS News.
