Trump sends ICE agents to relieve TSA workers at some airports, as Democrats refuse to pay

By THE ALASKA STORY

President Donald Trump said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will deploy to airports beginning Monday, placing border czar Tom Homan in charge of the effort as the Department of Homeland Security funding impasse continues to disrupt airport operations nationwide.

In a Sunday post on Truth Social, Trump said ICE personnel would help relieve Transportation Security Administration officers who are currently working without pay during the shutdown.

“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 … are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to,” Trump wrote. “The great Tom Homan is in charge!!!”

The move follows Trump’s warning a day earlier that he would deploy ICE agents if lawmakers failed to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The shutdown began in mid-February and has now stretched beyond a month, affecting multiple agencies within DHS.

While Immigration and Customs Enforcement remains funded through legislation passed last summer, other agencies — including the Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard, Secret Service, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — have curtailed nonessential operations. TSA officers have continued working without pay, and growing absenteeism has led to long lines at airport security checkpoints, in some cases stretching to several hours.

The administration said ICE agents would assist by taking over “non-significant roles” currently performed by TSA personnel, allowing trained screening officers to focus on core security duties. Trump also said ICE agents would enforce immigration laws at airports, including making arrests where warranted.

The funding standoff stems from disagreements in the Senate. Democrats have declined to support a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security, pushing instead for conditions on immigration enforcement. Those proposals include requiring ICE agents to wear body-worn cameras and visible identification, limiting enforcement activity at sensitive locations such as schools and hospitals, expanding de-escalation training, and mandating additional reporting to Congress.

The administration argues those conditions would restrict enforcement and prolong the funding impasse.

As airport delays worsened over the weekend, travelers were warned to expect longer wait times as unpaid TSA employees increasingly called in sick. The situation has created mounting pressure on lawmakers to resolve the standoff.

Adding another twist, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Saturday he would personally offer to pay TSA employees during the shutdown to ease travel disruptions.

“I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country,” Musk wrote on social media.

It is unclear whether such an offer could be legally implemented, as federal workers are typically paid through congressional appropriations.