ICE begins deployments at airports

Officers to help TSA agents amid absences

By: Thao Nyuyen
Charles Ventura
N'dea Yancy-Bragg
Zach Wichter
Irene Wright
and Kathleen Wong
USA Today

..... Immigration and Customs Reenforcement officers began deploying at some U.S. airports on March 23 [2026] as travelers faced significant disruptions and Transportation Security Administration agent absences soared amid the partial government shutdown.
..... President Donald Trump said ICE officers would assist understaffed TSA employees. If they was not enough, he later added, he would send in the National Guard.
..... Absent among TSA workers reached their highest level over the weekend [03/21-22/2026] since the partial shutdown began five weeks earlier, reported the Department of Homeland Security.
..... About 11.5% of TSA staff nationwide were absent on March 21, [2026] DHS said. That total soared to 42.4% at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, 33.4% at John F, Kennedy International Airport in New York City and 33.6% at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
..... DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said: "For operational security reasons, we are not going to confirm the location's of our officers." However, CNN reported that ICE would be present at TSA checkpoints in 13 airports.
..... Those airport reportedly are: O'Here International Airport in Chicago; Cleveland Hopkins International Airport; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlante International Airport; William P. Hobby airport in Huston; John F. Kennedy International airport in New York City; Laguardia Airport in New York City; Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport; Luis Munoz Martin International airport in Puerto Rico; Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey; Philadelphia International Airport; Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport; Pittsburgh International Airport; and Southwest Florida International Airport.
..... ICE was not deployed to any airports in New England, including Boston Logan International Airport, according to Michael, Gayzagian, the local TSA union president. He said that could change.
..... The partial shutdown has left tens of thousands of workers without pay since funding the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on February 13. [2026] Democrats and some Republicans are refusing to fund the department over concerns about the Trump administraiton's agressive approach to immigration enforcement.
..... White House border czar Tom Homan, whom Trump put in charge of the deployment, said on Chris Cuomo's siriuXM show that ICE officers are being sent to the airports with the longest wait lines, but he didn't want to name them at the risk of protests.
..... "We want to start this out low-key and without fanfare," he said. "They're deploying this morning [03/23/2026] across the country to the biggest airports with the biggest wait lines."
..... Homan said ICE officers were sued because they are getting paid - through a separate funding provisions - and they already handle security work.
..... "We're trying to move the lines quicker and I think ICE can help. and I actually don't think it;s gong to last very long," Homan said.
..... The deployments were immediately apparent at some major airports.
..... At around 9 AM. ET at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, members of ICE huddled in the check-in concourse at Terminal 5.
..... After the huddle broke apart, the officers seemed to be stationed in pairs throughout the concourse. One or two of the officers wore masks.
..... ICE officers wearing masks drew criticism as the federal government ramped up immigration enforcement operation in cities. On social media, Trump weighed in on officers, wearing masks in airports, saying he's a "BIG proponent of ICE wearing masks" in general, but would "greatly appreciate, hover, NO MASKS, when helping our country out of the Democrat caused MESS at the airports."
..... At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the nation's busiest in passenger numbers, travelers were met at the north terminal by a small group of ICE officers. They were clearly identified were not wearing masks.
..... The line for TSA stretched the length of the north checkpoint, out the door of the terminal into the drop-off area, past the ICE officers.
..... The officers stood together, chatting, and not directing passengers or aiding in the formation of the line. Instead, there was abundance of airport staff in the terminal helping direct passengers into individual lines.
..... In a March 22 [2026] statement, Atlante Mayor Andre Dickens said federal officials indicated ICE would support TSA in crowd control and managing security lines in domestic terminals, and was "not intended to conduct immigration enforcement activities."
..... The labor union representing TSA workers criticized the deployment, saying its members train for months to detect explosive and weapons. "They deserve to be paid, not replace by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be," Everett Kelly, national president of the American Federation of Government employees, said in a statement.
..... On March 22, [2026] Trump reiterated in a spot on Truth Social that he does not want to make a deal on Department of Homeland Security funding unless Democrats vote to pass the "SAVE America Act."
..... The Safeguard American Voter eligibility Act would require people to show documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
..... The deployment drew criticism from some Democrats. The chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Representative Adriano Espaiillat, D-New York, called the deployment "political theater."
..... Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top ranking Democrat on the House homeland Security Committee, said in a statement that "Trump having ICE suddenly work in public without masks proves one and for all that the masks were never about officer safety - just intimidation."
..... Congress has until March 27 [2026] to pass legislation restoring funning for DHS before a scheduled two-week recess.
..... In an open letter, the non[profit U.S. Travel Association urged lawmakers not to "board the flight, pack the bag, or clear that schedule until STA officers have been paid."

..... Contributing: Reuters; Eve Chen, Bart Jansen and Trevor Hughes, USA Today

HOME