Trump sends ICE to airports to ease TSA lines, says agents can make arrests
ICE agents are deploying to airports nationwide Monday to help manage security lines as a Department of Homeland Security funding standoff continues. The move comes as President Donald Trump says agents will be able to make arrests, even as local officials have been told enforcement is not the focus.
Passengers at major airports are facing lines that stretch through terminals as TSA officers work without pay during the funding lapse. The administration says the deployment is meant to shorten lines and keep checkpoints operating.
ICE deployment begins as staffing shortages persist
Border czar Tom Homan told “Fox News Sunday” that ICE agents will assist with airport operations, including managing crowds so TSA officers can stay focused on screening.
“Tomorrow we’re going to try to move those lines quicker, give TSA support,” he said. “The president came up with a great idea, let’s send additional resources to the airports to support the American people and support the men and women of TSA who are not getting paid, but are showing up for work every day.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said ICE personnel have relevant training and can help manage airport operations, even if they are not replacing TSA officers.
“They run those same type of security machines at the southern border, right? Packages come through or people come through. They run similar assets,” Duffy said on ABC News’ “This Week.” “We have ICE agents who are trained and can provide assistance to agents,”
The administration has not said how many agents will be deployed or provided a full list of airports, though CNN reports 13 will be impacted Monday. The New York Times puts the number at 14.
At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens said federal officials have told the city that agents from Homeland Security Investigations and ICE enforcement will be deployed.
In a statement, he said those agents will support TSA operations, including crowd control and line management inside domestic terminals, and are “not intended to conduct immigration enforcement activities.”
But Trump said Monday that agents would be able to make arrests, calling airports “very fertile territory” for detaining undocumented immigrants, even as he said their primary role is to support TSA operations.
Trump also said he could deploy the National Guard to airports if conditions do not improve.
“I want to thank ICE, because they stepped in so strongly. They’ll do great,” he said. “And if that’s enough, I’ll bring in the National Guard.”
Democrats raise concerns about training and oversight
Democratic leaders have criticized the plan, arguing it puts personnel without airport screening experience into sensitive roles.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN the approach risks placing untrained individuals in high-security environments.
“We’ve already seen how ICE conducts itself,” he said. “These are untrained individuals when it comes to doing the current job that they have for the most part, let alone deploying them in close exposure in highly sensitive situations at airports across the country.”
Airports strained as funding standoff continues
The Department of Homeland Security remains without full funding, leaving TSA officers working without pay. Officials say the shortages are already affecting operations and contributing to long lines and delays.
The White House calls Monday’s ICE deployment a temporary measure while lawmakers work toward a funding agreement.
President Donald Trump confirmed the plan on Truth Social Sunday, saying ICE agents would begin assisting at airports immediately.
On Monday, Trump said he asked agents not to wear masks at airports, calling it “not an appropriate look” for the setting, even as he said he supports mask use in other enforcement situations.
“I’m a big believer that they should be able to wear masks when they go and hunt down, you know, murderous criminals and others,” Trump told reporters. “People coming into the airport, typically speaking, aren’t murderers, killers, drug dealers, etc.”
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
