President Trump announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be deployed to U.S. airports to assist Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff as the partial government shutdown leads to longer security lines.
Trump said on social media the move is intended to support “our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job.” The shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, now in its sixth week, has paused pay for many TSA workers and officials say absences have grown as officers quit or call out.
Acting Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis told NPR the shutdown “has caused more than 400 TSA officers to quit and thousands to call out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent.” She said those shortages have produced hours-long delays and that DHS plans to deploy “hundreds” of ICE officers to airports affected by the staffing gaps, though the department did not immediately specify which airports would receive agents.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said federal agents would be at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to help with line management and crowd control and that local officials were told the deployment was not intended for immigration enforcement.
The plan drew criticism from unions and civil rights groups. Everett Kelley, president of the union that represents TSA officers, warned that ICE agents are not trained or certified in aviation security and should not replace paid TSA staff. The ACLU said the presence of immigration agents in airports could frighten families. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN he feared untrained ICE agents could potentially use excessive force.
White House border czar Tom Homan is overseeing the deployment, the president said. Homan described the plan as a “work in progress,” saying ICE officers would help move lines and could relieve TSA of some guard duties at terminal entries and exits so TSA can focus on screening. He added that ICE agents would not be expected to operate X-ray machines because they lack that specific training.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy offered a different view, telling ABC that ICE personnel “know how to run the X-ray machines” because they fall under the umbrella of Homeland Security. Duffy warned that wait times could worsen if Congress does not fund DHS by the end of the following week, when another round of missed paychecks is expected and additional quits or no-shows could occur.
Congress last week failed to pass a DHS funding bill for the fifth time, leaving TSA, FEMA and other agencies without appropriations. ICE funding remains in place after the agency received billions in a summer appropriations package.
The shutdown followed public scrutiny of immigration operations after two U.S. citizens died during federal actions in Minnesota, which prompted Democrats to demand policy changes including a judicial-warrant requirement and restrictions on masks for ICE agents. It was not clear whether agents deployed to airports would wear masks.
Homan said he has met with lawmakers to discuss DHS funding but gave no indication a deal was imminent. He also said ICE agents would continue enforcing immigration laws while assigned to terminals and security lines.
NPR’s Jennifer Ludden contributed reporting to this story.