White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed Sunday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will deploy to major airports starting Monday. The emergency mobilisation aims to alleviate massive travel delays caused by a chronic staffing shortage within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) during an ongoing partial government shutdown.
The decision follows a directive from President Trump, who announced the move via Truth Social after congressional Democrats and the White House remained deadlocked over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding. "On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job," the President posted, blaming the "Radical Left" for the budget impasse that has left roughly 50,000 screeners working without pay since mid-February.
Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Homan clarified that while the plan was still being finalised, the focus would be on hubs experiencing the longest wait times, such as Houston and New York’s JFK. He noted that ICE agents would act as a "force multiplier" by taking over secondary security roles.
"I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine, because they’re not trained in that," Homan told CNN. "But certainly, a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit, make sure people don’t enter through the exits, and relieve that TSA officer to go to screening and reduce those lines."
The deployment comes as the TSA faces a 6% nationwide call-out rate—triple the normal average—as officers struggle with financial a strain that has led to over 400 resignations. Travellers have reported security lines exceeding two hours at several major airports during the busy spring break season.
While Homan emphasised logistical support, the administration indicated that standard immigration enforcement will not be suspended. "We do immigration enforcement at airports all the time. It’s not going to change," Homan said. Critics and labour unions have voiced concerns, with Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, stating that officers "deserve to be paid, not replaced."