U.S. air travel is currently in turmoil, with long security lines preventing passengers from making their flights and TSA agents going without pay due to a partial government shutdown. A major accident at New York's LaGuardia airport also left two pilots dead and dozens of passengers injured. President Trump has now decided to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at thirteen airports around the country.
Trump claims this is being done to help with crowd management as the TSA deals with a growing number of callouts while the Department of Homeland Security is shut down. These ICE agents are expected to free up TSA agents to handle processing travelers, according to a DHS official. However, critics argue Trump is doing this to put more pressure on Democrats in Congress to agree to a deal to fund the DHS and pass the SAVE Act, which imposes strict voter ID requirements.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that ICE agents would "do security like no one has ever seen before," including "the immediate arrest of all illegal immigrants who have come into our Country." So far, social media posts mostly show these paid agents standing around while unpaid TSA agents continue to deal with massive lines.
Trump has deployed ICE to airports including Chicago O'Hare, Cleveland Hopkins, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Houston Hobby, JFK, LaGuardia, New Orleans Louis Armstrong, San Juan Luis Munoz Marin, Newark Liberty, Philadelphia International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Pittsburgh International, and Southwest Florida International.
The President called on ICE agents at these airports not to wear masks while helping with security operations, writing on Truth Social that he would "greatly appreciate" that agents wear "NO MASKS" while deployed to airports.
If the ICE deployments don't work, Trump told the Times he would send in the National Guard to assist the TSA. He also said he would "love it" if Elon Musk followed through with his offer to pay TSA personnel during the shutdown, though this would be illegal for federal employees.
According to CNN, Trump may have gotten the idea for deploying ICE at airports from a radio caller named "Linda from Arizona" who pitched it on "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" on March 20. Travis called it a "brilliant idea" and later appeared on Fox News to pitch the concept. Trump announced his ICE plan on March 21.
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Trump deploys ICE agents to 13 airports amid TSA staffing crisis and long security lines.
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This highlights how government shutdowns directly impact essential services like airport security.
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The idea reportedly came from a radio show caller just one day before Trump's announcement.
