Trump says he will send ICE agents to US airports during the partial government shutdown
Listen to this article
Average 5 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
US President Donald Trump said he will send Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday to assist Transportation Security Administration personnel at US airports.
“On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who are still on the job,” he said in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
Trump on Saturday threatened to send ICE agents to airports if congressional Democrats do not quickly agree to fund airport security, more than a month before the partial government shutdown.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees will miss a second full payday Friday due to the shutdown as attorneys debate funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), TSA’s parent agency, and ICE.
ICE at the center of Trump’s immigration crackdown
ICE agents are not trained for airport security, the base of the TSA, which has 65,000 employees, including 50,000 airport security officers. ICE has played a key role in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, drawing criticism from many Democrats, civil liberties advocates and immigration groups.
TSA officers have called in sick and a shortage of security personnel has disrupted travel at major airports. More than 10 percent of TSA officers have called in sick more than half of the past seven days, DHS said in a statement Saturday.
More than 400 TSA employees have quit since the partial shutdown began on Feb. 14, DHS said, adding that resignations and layoffs are expected to “significantly increase” as the shutdown continues.
Trump tweeted Saturday that ICE deployments will begin “if Democrats do not allow Fair and Appropriate Security at our Airports, and elsewhere across our country.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, slammed Trump’s proposal as “another reckless, lawless threat to abuse ICE agents.”
“He doesn’t seem to know what the limits are on ICE, and I think America would be very shocked to see ICE patrolling airports, just like they’re breaking down doors,” Blumenthal told reporters in Washington.
Former US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Darius Reeves told CBC’s Jonathan Montpetit that he no longer sees the agency he spent 20 years working for.
Representative Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement that Trump is “creating chaos at airports to gain political power” and that placing ICE agents at checkpoints will bring a “feminist tool” to America.
“Donald Trump needs to fire his secret police, pass the necessary ICE reforms, and pay TSA workers,” the Mississippi lawmaker said.
Democrats want TSA reforms
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, on Saturday offered to pay TSA checks for “this financial crisis that is negatively impacting the lives of many Americans at airports across the country.” Representatives for DHS, TSA and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Homeland Security has historically shifted resources across agencies during emergency response worker shortages, said Stewart Baker, a former DHS policy officer in the administration of President George W. Bush. Keeping the TSA going without paying employees creates a “big problem” for the agency, Baker said.
Using ICE agents for airport security “may be slower than using trained people, but it’s better than no one,” he added.
ICE, along with Customs and Border Protection, has sent agents over the past few months to several locations as part of Trump’s immigration campaign, most recently in Minnesota for an operation that led to agents shooting US citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Their deaths sparked controversy and led the Trump administration to take a more targeted approach in Minnesota.
US President Donald Trump has fired his embattled homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, after she criticized his leadership, including the administration’s handling of immigration and crisis management. Trump said he will nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to replace Noem.
This month, Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid growing criticism of her immigration tactics. The US Senate is considering the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, as the next DHS secretary.
Trump has said his immigration policies are aimed at curbing illegal immigration and improving national security. A DHS funding bill has been held up in Congress as Democrats push for TSA reforms that Republicans have rejected.
Democrats have said TSA reforms are needed, including a ban on agents wearing masks. Republicans said that would put agents at risk.
Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union said the TSA provided a list of airport travelers to ICE, calling the move a break from previous TSA practices.
