Trump Deploys ICE to Ease Airport Security Lines Amid DHS Shutdown

Sun Mar 22 2026 21:38:46 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In response to escalating airport security issues due to ongoing DHS funding shortages, President Trump announces the deployment of ICE agents to assist TSA at checkpoints.

As lengthy security lines plague U.S. airports amid a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), President Trump has stated that ICE agents will help alleviate the burden on TSA officers. Critics have voiced concerns regarding the sufficiency of training for ICE agents in the sensitive environment of airport security, while union representatives advocate for paid TSA workers instead. The situation highlights the challenges posed by the ongoing DHS funding impasse.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be sent to airports to help with increasingly long lines at security checkpoints, the Trump administration has announced.

US President Donald Trump posted on social media that ICE agents will report to airports on Monday. Border Czar Tom Homan added that details of the plan are being finalized.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers' union criticized the decision, emphasizing that staff deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents amidst the existing challenges of a partial government shutdown affecting the DHS.

With the shutdown now ongoing, many TSA agents have been forced to work without pay, leading to high absence rates and an exodus of more than 400 agents since the impasse began.

Trump remarked, On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job, following threats to deploy additional personnel if immediate funding support wasn’t secured.

While Trump described the deployment as a significant enhancement to airport security, Homan clarified that ICE agents will not conduct passenger screenings but will instead relieve TSA officers for their primary screening roles.

Critics, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, labeled the move as misguided and argued that deploying untrained individuals into sensitive airport roles is dangerous. TSA President Everett Kelley stressed the importance of adequately compensated and trained personnel to ensure passenger safety.

The crisis has escalated as Democrats propose reforms regarding ICE's operations, especially following incidents of violence linked to federal agents. Meanwhile, previous attempts to secure funding for the DHS through Senate bills have failed.