Donald Trump administration officials have outlined a plan to place ICE agents across the nation’s airports beginning today to help alleviate long lines, disruptions, and delays caused by the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown. The government shutdown, now in its second month, has left TSA agents struggling to maintain standard security operations. These essential employees are working without pay until the Senate passes an appropriations bill.
Tom Homan, President Trump’s Border Czar, said Sunday that ICE agents would step in to support airport security efforts while also continuing to carry out the administration’s immigration priorities, the Guardian reports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy added that ICE personnel already have experience with key airport functions, including conducting pat-downs and operating X-ray screening equipment.
.@POTUS: “ICE has done very well. I’m a big believer that they should be able to wear masks when they go and hunt down murderers, criminals and others, but for purposes of the airport, I’ve requested that they take off the masks… and I believe they are willing to do that.” pic.twitter.com/9KZc6sncL7
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 23, 2026
“ICE has done very well. I’m a big believer that they should be able to wear masks when they go and hunt down murderers, criminals and others, but for purposes of the airport, I’ve requested that they take off the masks… and I believe they are willing to do that.”
BREAKING: ICE Agents are now patrolling in Terminal 5 at JFK Airport in NYC as Huge TSA Lines continue
Video by @FreedomNTV [email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/GSx47mg1CD
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) March 23, 2026
ICE personnel were spotted at several major airports, including Atlanta, Newark, New Orleans, and New York’s John F. Kennedy International, with CNN noting that agents were present at nine additional locations as well.
On Sunday, Trump confirmed that Border Czar Tom Homan would oversee the operation. In a Truth Social post, Donald Trump wrote that “ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful [Transportation Security Administration] Agents who have stayed on the job despite” the ongoing shutdown, which stems from a Senate standoff over tighter federal immigration enforcement policies.
President Trump first announced the deployment Saturday, as travelers faced mounting delays due to TSA staffing shortages. While long security lines have frustrated passengers, Trump emphasized that the presence of ICE agents would deliver “security like no one has ever seen before.” He also stated that the agents would be tasked with “the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country, with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia.”
When pressed on whether a detailed strategy was in place to guide ICE agents in their expanded roles, Tom Homan suggested their responsibilities would center largely on basic security functions at airports. “When we deploy tomorrow, we’ll have a well-thought-out plan to execute,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday. Homan also added, “How much of a plan does it take to guard an exit and make sure no one comes through it?” Homan also noted that ICE personnel have long maintained a presence in airports, describing the move as simply an expansion of existing duties.
Tom Homan also noted that ICE agents would help keep passengers moving through checkpoints, saying they would “do what they can to move those people through the line.” However, the Trump border security czar did not elaborate on any specifics about the ICE agent training on TSA systems and procedures.
“TSA agents are law enforcement. They know how to pat people down, they know how to run the X-ray machines because they are under Homeland Security with TSA,” Duffy told ABC News’ This Week. “So if we can bring in other assets and tools to assist TSA to get rid of these lines, I think that makes a lot of sense.”
ICE agents have arrived at airports to assist with staff shortages, a day after President Trump threatened he would do so unless congressional Democrats agreed to a GOP-backed funding deal to end a partial government shutdown. https://t.co/onX18YjdXK pic.twitter.com/FNqLClRooB
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 23, 2026
Adam Stahl, the acting head of the TSA, cautioned that the prolonged federal shutdown could soon create serious staffing gaps at airports if it is not resolved. He warned last week, “It’s not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones, if call-out rates go up,” pointing to the growing strain on personnel.
Stahl indicated that if staffing shortages continue to worsen, some airports could be left without enough TSA officers to carry out essential security screenings, forcing temporary closures until adequate coverage is restored.
