US EditionTrump Orders ICE Agents to Assist TSA at US Airports Amid Shutdown
About 50,000 TSA employees have worked unpaid amid DHS funding lapse, prompting ICE agents to assist with airport security duties to ease staffing shortages, officials said.
- On Monday, March 23, 2026, President Donald Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to U.S. airports to assist short-staffed Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at 14 locations amid a months-long partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
- Since February 14, 2026, a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown has forced Transportation Security Administration officers to work without pay. Consequently, more than 400 have resigned and callout rates soared to 42.4% at some airports, creating severe security line delays.
- Border czar Tom Homan stated ICE agents will perform support roles like monitoring exits: "We're simply there to help TSA do their job." Critics, including American Federation of Government Employees president Everett Kelley, argue agents lack aviation security training and could distract from screening.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the deployment, saying "Untrained ICE agents lurking at our airports is asking for trouble." Republicans blocked stand-alone Transportation Security Administration funding, insisting on full Department of Homeland Security appropriations, deepening the legislative stalemate.
- President Trump suggested he may deploy National Guard troops if airport measures prove insufficient. With Congress nearing a two-week recess and legislative resolution deadlocked, the shutdown's strain on travel operations and unpaid federal workers threatens to intensify.
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'It’s kind of like a slap in the face': Indianapolis TSA workers react to ICE agents deploying to airports
INDIANAPOLIS — As the Trump Administration deploys U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to more airports experiencing hours-long lines, the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) is reporting that ICE will not assist Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at the Indianapolis International Airport for now. While the airport has experienced an increase in TSA wait times, [...]
ICE officers go to TSA checkpoints at Trump's direction, while long wait times at airports persist | Chattanooga Times Free Press
Armed federal immigration officers in tactical gear moved through terminals at some of the busiest U.S. airports Monday, standing near security lines and checkpoints after President Donald Trump ordered their deployment during a partial government shutdown that has disrupted air travel nationwide.
Will ICE agents deploy to Salt Lake City airport amid partial shutdown?
While long lines have made airport security screening a pain during the partial government shutdown, a Salt Lake City airport spokesperson said wait times in Utah's capital have been unscathed.
Was The TSA Crisis Written In Project 2025?
Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune / Getty – March 23: Travelers stand in a long Transportation Security Administration (TSA) line that wrapped throughout Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport on March 23, 2026. Travelers across the United States faced a frustrating reality this past weekend: long TSA wait times, in some cases stretching to 55 minutes or more at major airports. The delays come as the TSA grapples with a growing staffing…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to major airports across the country to fill the gaps after thousands of security workers refused to work because they were not paid. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are increasingly absent from work after weeks of unpaid work due to the partial government shutdown that began on February 14. Their absence has led to huge lines and hours-long waits at …
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