Air Marshals are supposed to be virtually unnoticed in the sky. They may no longer be on the planes at all.
According to Air Marshal National Council Director Sonya LaBosco, air marshals are still being deployed at the southern border, which could result in a shortage of guards on board planes during what is expected to be a record-breaking Thanksgiving week.
"We just received an email last week that our resources for flying air marshals are depleted," LaBosco told FOX News on Tuesday. "We are ushering in illegal immigrants on the border and leaving the traveling public unsafe."
LaBosco blamed the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz echoed.
Cruz previously wrote a letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske in which she stated, "It is concerning that the administration has prioritized ushering illegal immigrants into the country over protecting the lives and safety of the traveling public."
According to LaBosco, air marshals stationed in the area are simply "passing out water." Cruz stated that removing air marshals from flights could put passengers "at risk."
"But we all know that the border is not secure, but now, not only is the border destabilized, our aviation is destabilized as well," LaBosco said in a statement. "Clearly, we're not flying right now."
"The only missions that we're doing are quiet skies missions," LaBosco explained. "We're not on one of our regular missions where we're out looking for bad guys. So, for the time being, most flights will not have air marshals."