US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are set to be deployed to airports to help ease growing delays at security checkpoints, according to the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump announced on social media that ICE personnel would begin assisting at airports on Monday, while border official Tom Homan said details of the plan were still being finalized.
The move has drawn criticism from the union representing Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, which argued that staff “deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents.”
Passengers have been experiencing long security lines in recent days as a partial government shutdown continues to affect the Department of Homeland Security.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the move on Sunday, telling CNN that deploying ICE agents is “the last thing the American people need.”
He added that most of these individuals are not trained for such roles, warning that placing them in sensitive airport environments across the country raises serious concerns.
The ongoing funding deadlock for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has left TSA officers unpaid for over a month, leading to increased absenteeism. According to the White House, more than 400 TSA employees have resigned since the shutdown began.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), responsible for screening passengers and baggage for security threats, has continued operations despite these challenges.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said TSA workers have continued showing up without pay because of their commitment to public safety. He stressed that they deserve compensation rather than being replaced by untrained, armed personnel.
Democrats have also pushed for reforms to ICE following the deaths of two Minneapolis residents, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, during immigration-related protests earlier this year. Their proposals include restrictions on face coverings for agents, clearer identification, and stricter warrant requirements.
Meanwhile, a Senate bill aimed at funding DHS and ensuring pay for TSA workers failed to advance on Friday, prolonging the stalemate.
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