Donald Trump’s plan to handle the partial shutdown involves sending ICE agents to help TSA officers at airports. He added that ICE will be at the airport “for as long as it takes.” The partial shutdown has not yet been resolved, causing travel disruptions, long lines at airports, and TSA agents who are burnt out and working without a paycheck.
Trump mentioned in a Truth Social post, “On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats.” Trump’s remarks on NewsNation come amid the crisis at various airport security checkpoints, where travelers are complaining about long wait times.
BREAKING: Tom Homan just said that the ICE agents that Trump is sending to airports tomorrow will also be doing immigration enforcement there.
“We do immigration enforcement at airports all the time, so is that going to change? That’s not going to change.”
What a mess this is… pic.twitter.com/zV61H3NL8e
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) March 22, 2026
Some travelers are spending hours at airports with a high volume of flights. One X user at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport posted, “WOW. Furious American travelers are now reporting 5 HOUR WAIT TIMES at Atlanta airport, TSA line is snaking to BAGGAGE CLAIM and BEYOND.”
Spotting ICE agents at the airport, another user posted, “Atlanta airport is packed. ICE agents are there. The TSA security line starts outside. Major disruptions are happening due to staffing shortages tied to the partial government shutdown.”
The mayor also confirmed the presence of ICE agents, stating, “We have been informed that federal personnel from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) will be deployed to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport beginning tomorrow morning.”
First of all, maybe TSA agents are quitting because they don’t want to sleep in their cars at the airport since they can’t afford gas.
Second, ICE agents are barely trained to be ICE agents. Now they’re being put in airports to do TSA’s job with zero training. What could go… pic.twitter.com/yYlqVuAZ8h
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) March 23, 2026
Air travel has become a hassle, while TSA agents are quitting. So far, 400 have resigned since the shutdown started on Feb. 14. Apart from this, several TSA officers are calling in sick to work or are not able to show up, while not even having gas money.
Earlier, Denver airport tried to ease up the burden on agents by asking the travelers to donate $10-$20 gift cards, gaining a mixed response from people. While ICE agents are at the Atlanta airport, other airports have not been confirmed so far, but they may soon move to major airports, especially with huge crowds.
The shutdown will end after the Senate vote. 60 votes are needed to pass the DHS funding bill for the 2026 budget. So far, the lawmakers have failed to pass the bill four times. Republicans want the full funding of DHS, while Democrats are calling for immigration reform in the funding.
