ICE to Assist Airport Security Amid US Government Shutdown
WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will begin deploying to airports across the country on Monday to help bolster security operations strained by a partial government shutdown, officials confirmed Sunday. The move, first announced by former President Donald Trump on his social media platform, Truth Social, comes as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) struggles with staffing shortages due to the ongoing budgetary impasse.
The TSA, also under the Department of Homeland Security, has been operating with roughly 9% fewer personnel since mid-February, when the shutdown began impacting salary payments. More than 350 TSA employees have resigned since the shutdown commenced, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA agents who are working tirelessly despite the radical left Democrats who only focus on protecting the most hardened criminals who have illegally entered our country, putting America in danger by withholding funds long agreed to,” Trump wrote Sunday.
Tom Homan, designated as “border czar” by Trump in November 2024, confirmed the deployment to CNN. The decision to involve ICE, however, raises concerns given the agency’s history of accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement actions.
The American Immigration Council has reported at least six deaths in ICE custody in January 2026, occurring in detention centers across Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and California. The AIC also cited the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by federal agents during protests against ICE in Minneapolis.
The deployment is intended to mitigate security gaps created by the shutdown, but critics question the suitability of ICE agents for passenger screening duties typically handled by the TSA. No details were immediately available regarding specific training or protocols for ICE agents performing these new roles.
This is a developing story.