Donald Trump announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will be deployed to various airports this Monday (local time) to address staff shortages caused by lack of funding.
On 22 Mar 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that ICE officers will begin deployment at airports on Monday to help manage increasingly long security checkpoint lines, a result of budget shortfalls that have left staff unpaid.
The union representing Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers criticized this move, stating employees "should be paid, not replaced by armed officers who have not received specialized training in this area."
In recent days, travelers have faced hours-long security checkpoint waits because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been underfunded since mid-February, following Congress's failure to reach a budget agreement, resulting in TSA officers working without pay.
Trump posted on Truth Social: "This Monday, ICE officers will head to various airports to assist our wonderful TSA officers who continue to serve."
Trump's statement came a day after he threatened to deploy ICE officers to airports to arrest illegal immigrants, particularly Somalis, if Democrats did not immediately approve DHS funding.
Tom Homan, Trump's 'Border Czar,' told CNN's State of the Union that ICE officers would not be directly involved in passenger screening but would help ease the workload so TSA officers can fully perform their trained screening duties.
Homan suggested ICE officers would manage entry and exit points to "relieve TSA officers so they can focus on screening and help reduce those long lines." He said he was coordinating with TSA and ICE to finalize details, including the number of officers needed, and that the plan would be finalized before Monday's deployment.
The partial DHS shutdown has forced TSA officers to work unpaid for over a month, leading to increased absenteeism. The White House also reported over 400 TSA resignations since the shutdown began.
"Our TSA members come to work every day without paychecks because they believe in the mission of keeping the traveling public safe," said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), representing TSA staff.
Kelley added in a statement, "They should be paid, not replaced by armed officers without training who have already demonstrated how dangerous they can be," referring to border enforcement in Minnesota where border agents killed two Americans, triggering violent protests.
Following that incident, Democrats called for ICE reforms, urging DHS to ban officers from wearing masks that conceal their identities, require clearer identification, and tighten court warrant regulations.
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Source:bbc