President Trump said he is sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to U.S. airports as some air travelers face longer security lines due to the partial government shutdown.
“On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job,” Trump posted on social media Sunday.
The Trump administration has blamed Democrats for the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, now in its sixth week, which has paused paychecks for Transportation Security Administration workers. 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 the absences have produced hours-long delays and that the agency will deploy “hundreds” of ICE officers “to airports being adversely impacted.” DHS did not specify deployment locations.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Sunday evening agents would be at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to assist with “line management and crowd control,” and that federal agents indicated the deployment was not intended for immigration enforcement.
The plan drew criticism. Everett Kelley, president of the union representing TSA officers, said ICE agents are not trained or certified in aviation security and warned they should not replace paid TSA staff. The ACLU said immigration agents at airports could “inspire fear among families.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on CNN he feared untrained ICE agents could “potentially… brutalize or in some instances kill” people.
White House border czar Tom Homan is overseeing the ICE deployment, Trump said. Homan told CNN the plan was still being finalized and described it as “a work in progress,” but said ICE would help “move those lines along.” He said ICE might relieve TSA agents of guard duty at some terminal entries and exits, allowing TSA to focus on screening tasks. “I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine because they’re not trained in that,” Homan said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy offered a different view, telling ABC that ICE personnel “know how to run the X-ray machines because they are again under Homeland Security with TSA.” Duffy warned wait times could worsen if Congress did not fund DHS by the end of next week, when another round of missed paychecks for TSA workers is expected, predicting more quits or no-shows.
Congress last week failed to pass a DHS funding bill for the fifth time, leaving TSA, FEMA and other agencies short. ICE, by contrast, still has funding after receiving billions last summer as part of Republican appropriations.
The current DHS shutdown followed the deaths of two U.S. citizens during federal immigration operations in Minnesota, which prompted Democrats to demand policy changes including a judicial warrant requirement and a ban on ICE agents wearing masks. It was unclear whether ICE agents deployed to airports would wear masks.
Homan said he met with lawmakers to discuss DHS funding but gave no indication a deal was imminent. He also said ICE agents would continue to enforce immigration laws while deployed to terminals and security lines.
NPR’s Jennifer Ludden contributed to this story.