The Transportation Security Administration announced this week that the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports will begin enrollment in a new national security program in mid-December.

The Transportation Worker Identification Credential program, which began Oct. 16 at the Port of Wilmington in Delaware, will require port workers across the country to undergo background checks and register with the government to obtain clearance to enter the ports.

There has been concern locally that as much as 20 percent of port truckers, the majority of whom are Latino immigrants, may not pass the background checks due to their immigration status.

This program is another headache for port truckers, who are preparing for an impending clean air plan that could cause upheaval in the local trucking industry.