As ICE officers were deployed to airports, some have raised concerns about their qualifications.
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What does it take to become a TSA officer?
TSOs, or transportation security officers, who operate screening equipment to scan for dangerous objects, carry out searches and control terminal entry points and exits, among other duties, undergo in-depth training.
“What I want people to truly understand is that it takes a long time to become a TSA officer,” Caleb Harmon-Marshall, founder of the Gate Access newsletter and who worked as a TSO for eight years, told USA TODAY.
He estimated it took him five to six months to become certified, which included training at a facility near Miami International Airport and on-the-job training with an experienced TSO. “So you work with them for a few weeks, and then you take several extensive tests to make sure you are certified on every single function,” he said, from the X-ray machine to pat-downs.
Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said at a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on March 25 that training for TSOs takes four to six months.
Harmon-Marshall, who spent most of his TSA career at Atlanta's international airport, noted that “aviation security is completely different than what ICE does.”
“TSA officers are specifically looking for prohibited items,” he said. “They're looking for knives, guns, bullets, anything that could cause harm, and that takes a skilled eye.” Harmon-Marshall said he became so proficient in X-rays that he could tell the difference between MacBook and HP laptops.