ICE agents to be formally deployed to US airports over funding shutdown
Updated . First published at
ICE agents in the US will be formally deployed to airports across the country in the next 24 hours to help speed up travel times.
It comes after President Donald Trump threatened to send federal immigration officers into airports as a funding stoush paralyses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Although the details of their deployment are not finalised, the move means ICE agents will be posted to guard exit lanes or check passenger IDs, as hundreds of thousands of homeland security workers from the TSA, US Secret Service and Coast Guard go without pay.
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Tom Homan exits a closed-door meeting with members of the US Senate on Capitol Hill last week. AP
White House border czar Tom Homan, named by Trump to lead this effort, has also been meeting with a bipartisan group of senators in recent days over the partial shutdown and while he characterised those sessions as "good conversations," he said they were "not at a point yet where we're in total agreement".
In interviews over the weekend, Homan said the increased role of ICE at airports — specific duties and numbers — was subject to discussions with the leadership of TSA and ICE "to find out where we can fit in".
He pledged to have "a plan by the end of today (Monday AEDT), where we're sending - what airports we're starting with and where we're sending them... so it's a work in progress."
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People wait in a TSA line at the John F Kennedy International Airport, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) AP
The priority, Homan said, was "the large airports where there's a long wait, like three hours."
The introduction of ICE officers comes after Congress failed to renew DHS funding last month. Democrats are demanding major changes in the conduct of federal immigration agents following the deadly shootings in Minnessota.
Trump used the funding impasse to threaten an enlarged role for ICE at airports, posting several times to his Truth Social platform that there would be "no games" in the negotiations.
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Donald Trump posted a photo with the slogan "No Games!" as he threatened to send in ICE agents to carry out security duties at US airports. Truth Social
The vast majority of TSA employees are considered essential and continue to work during the funding lapse, but they are doing so without pay.
Call-out rates have started to increase at some airports, and DHS said at least 376 have quit since the partial shutdown began on February 14.
The move appears to be a pointed effort to expand the type of immigration enforcement that has become a sticking point in Congress.
Democrats pledged to oppose funding for DHS unless changes were made in the wake of a crackdown in Minnesota that led to the fatal shootings of two protesters.
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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House. AP
Democrats are asking for better identification for federal law enforcement officers, a new code of conduct for those agencies and more use of judicial warrants, among other measures.
The Minnesota operation was tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.
On Saturday, Trump said ICE officers sent to airports would focus on arresting immigrants from Somalia who are in the US illegally. Repeating his criticism on Somalis, he said they "totally destroyed" Minnesota.
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Air travelers endure long lines and two-hour wait times at the TSA security check point at Terminal E at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. AP
On Saturday, the Senate rejected a motion by Democrats to take up legislation to reopen TSA and pay workers who are now going without pay cheques.
Republicans argue that they need to fund all parts of the DHS, not just certain ones. A bill to fund the Cabinet department failed to advance in the Senate on Friday.
There were signs of progress, though, with the restarting in recent days of stalled talks between Democrats and the White House.
On Saturday, Republican and Democratic senators were set to meet for a third consecutive day with White House officials behind closed doors as Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York spoke of "productive conversations".
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, urged the bipartisan group to act quickly. He has said repeatedly that Democrats and the White House need to find a compromise as lines at airports have grown.
"If that group that's meeting can't come up with a solution really quickly, things are going to get worse and worse," Thune said.
Reported with Associated Press
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