ICE Agents Deploy to Major US Airports as Security Queues Stretch for Hours
In an extraordinary move to keep the nation's air travel moving, hundreds of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to 14 major airports across the country. White House border tsar Tom Homan confirmed the deployment on Monday, noting agents are actively operating at major hubs like New York's John F Kennedy airport and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
What Happened
In an extraordinary move to keep the nation's air travel moving, hundreds of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to 14 major airports across the country. White House border tsar Tom Homan confirmed the deployment on Monday, noting agents are actively operating at major hubs like New York's John F Kennedy airport and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
The shift comes as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) faces crippling staffing shortages. Due to a partial government shutdown that began on February 14, TSA employees have gone weeks without pay. The financial strain led to massive call-outs: over 3,400 TSA agents refused to work on Sunday alone, causing chaotic hours-long delays.
The localized impact has been severe. At Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, a staggering 42.3% of TSA staff called out on Sunday. Hartsfield-Jackson saw similar numbers at 41.5%, while Houston and Baltimore reported over a third of their security staff absent. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that the resulting wait times have forced some travelers to sleep in airports to avoid missing their flights.
Why It Matters
Deploying ICE to domestic airports marks a major operational pivot. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl framed the move as creating a "force multiplier." ICE agents are stepping in for "non-specialised security functions," such as crowd control, which theoretically frees up remaining TSA personnel to focus strictly on aviation screening protocols.
However, putting ICE agents—a law enforcement body specifically focused on immigration and customs—in standard civilian airport queues has generated immediate pushback. Derrick Johnson, head of the NAACP, sharply criticized the deployment, stating the agents are "inadequately trained, armed, and instructed to profile people based on race and accent." The move comes amid a broader decline in public support for ICE following controversial enforcement actions.
The Bigger Picture
The airport chaos is the most visible symptom of a deeply entrenched political stalemate. Democrats in Congress continue to refuse DHS funding without imposing new restrictions on immigration agents—a response sparked by the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minneapolis by ICE personnel.
Republicans, however, have shot down Democratic proposals to fund the TSA independently while ICE reform negotiations drag on. President Donald Trump escalated the conflict on Sunday, ordering Republicans to reject any piecemeal funding deal that excludes ICE, attempting to leverage the crisis to force through his voter ID bill.
What's Next
For travelers, the immediate future looks bleak. Airport authorities are urging passengers to arrive at least three to four hours prior to departure. A coalition of over 100 airport leaders recently sent a letter to Congress, expressing deep concern over the "potentially long-lasting" operational disruptions and urging immediate action to end the shutdown.
For the federal workers caught in the crossfire, the financial toll is compounding. TSA agents and other DHS employees are scheduled to miss their second paycheck on Friday. With Congress slated to begin a two-week recess immediately afterward, there appears to be no end in sight to the gridlock—or the airport queues.