Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were deployed to U.S. airports today after President Donald Trump announced that he would deploy hundreds of immigration officers to help supplement the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The move comes amid a partial government shutdown that has led to TSA staff working without pay and long lines at security checkpoints throughout the country.
According to The Associated Press (AP), several federal agents were seen near congested lines at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Additionally, Louis Armstrong International in New Orleans, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental, and William P. Hobby airports confirmed that ICE officers would be on site to aid in TSA operations.
TSA staff absences reached their highest over the weekend since the partial shutdown began on Feb. 13, 2026, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency confirmed that over a third of TSA workers at airports in New York City, Atlanta, and Houston have no-showed or called in sick.
Over the weekend, President Trump announced that he would order immigration enforcement officers to assist the TSA by guarding exit lanes and checking passenger identification, unless Democrats agreed to fund DHS.
President Trump also shared that White House border czar Tom Homan will be in charge of the operation.
DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis confirmed President Trump’s order stating that “hundreds” of ICE agents would be deployed, but did not disclose which airports they would go to due to security concerns.
“This latest threat of ICE invasion at the airports is another distraction from solutions that protect Americans,” a group of unions representing flight attendants and other airport personnel shared in a statement on Sunday.
President Trump ordered ICE officers not to cover their faces while performing operations at airports, writing on social media that he supports ICE agents wearing masks when dealing with “hardened criminals,” but assured that it isn’t necessary “when helping our Country out of the Democrat caused MESS at the airports.”
