US EditionTrump threatens to put ICE agents in airports over funding impasse
The partial DHS shutdown has left nearly 50,000 TSA officers unpaid, causing staffing shortages and long airport security lines, prompting Trump to threaten ICE deployment.
- On Saturday, March 21, 2026, President Donald Trump threatened to deploy immigration enforcement agents to U.S. airports, posting 'I will move our brilliant and 'patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before'.
- Facing a partial DHS shutdown, the 50,000-strong TSA workforce has worked without pay since a funding bill expired five weeks ago and faces missing a second paycheck on March 27.
- At major hubs, passengers faced 120-minute waits at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and 80 minutes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport amid staffing gaps, with over half absent Sunday in Houston and 38% missing Wednesday in Atlanta.
- Officials cautioned that some smaller airports could close and wait times won't improve until funding is restored and TSA officers are paid, while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer proposed funding only TSA as Democrats press for policy changes for ICE.
- Negotiators intensified talks when White House border czar Tom Homan met bipartisan senators, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said 'This is a pox on everybody's house', and Elon Musk offered to pay TSA officers' salaries.
116 Articles
116 Articles
According to him, they would provide security at airports that are crippled by a congressional blockade of funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
US President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to use Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to provide airport security amid a protracted budget dispute that has left regular security staff without pay.
Trump threatens to deploy ICE agents to airports Monday if funding deal isn’t reached
President Donald Trump said Saturday he will deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to US airports on Monday if an agreement isn’t reached to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid a partial government shutdown.
Trump Vows to Deploy ICE Agents to US Airports With 'Heavy Emphasis on Somalia' as Shutdown Chaos Deepens
President Donald Trump escalated his standoff with congressional Democrats on Saturday, threatening to redeploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports across the United States if the partial government shutdown is not brought to an immediate end. The warning came as travel disruption intensified nationwide, with thousands of TSA officers continuing to work without pay and security queues stretching to two hours or more at major h…
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