ICE Agents Conduct ID Checks at LaGuardia: What Travelers Need to Know About TSA Delays

On Thursday, passengers at New York’s LaGuardia Airport observed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers checking IDs at the conclusion of a lengthy security line.

The Post reported seeing two out of three ICE officers present at the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint in Terminal B wearing patches labeled “Enforcement and Removal Operations,” indicating their role in the agency’s deportation unit.

One surprised traveler, after enduring the two-hour wait, exclaimed, “ICE is running the security!”

President Trump assigned ICE to airports starting Monday, aiming to support overburdened TSA screeners and alleviate congested lines.

The TSA has been experiencing significant staff shortages, leading to prolonged wait times, as numerous employees have opted not to work without pay during the 40-day Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.

Before ICE’s involvement, border czar Tom Homan clarified that federal law enforcement officers wouldn’t perform tasks they aren’t trained for, such as bag screening. Instead, they would help TSA workers by taking over simpler responsibilities like monitoring doors and corridors.

ICE agents have been spotted checking IDs at other airports, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, according to the New York Times. 

Fliers at New York’s JFK Airport on Thursday complained about seeing ICE officers.

“I don’t want the ICE in here,” Kerri Michael, 54, told The Post that she arrived four hours before her flight because she heard “lines are ridiculous.”

Michael added: “They’re not trained for this job, and they shouldn’t be doing it, so I don’t want them anywhere around me.” 

A DHS spokeswoman confirmed that ICE agents who received “standard TSA training curriculum” were “verifying identification using TSA. equipment and standard operating procedures.” 

“The more support we have available, the more efficiently TSA can focus on their highly specialized screening roles to efficiently get airport security lines moving faster,” DHS acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told the outlet. 

President Trump announced Thursday that he was planning to sign an executive order forcing DHS to pay TSA employees during the shutdown. 

“Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!” the president wrote on Truth Social. 

“Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports,” Trump continued. 

“It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” 

TSA workers had been expecting to miss a third paycheck on Friday. 

It’s unclear how long ICE will continue to assist TSA at airports.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin signaled that he expects Trump’s move to “end this chaos” at airports.

“I want to thank [Trump] for his leadership in finding a way to pay our TSA officers to end this chaos at our airports,” Mullin wrote on X. “These hours long lines and thousands of Americans missing their flights was caused solely by the Democrats reckless [DHS] shutdown.”

Mullin noted that many DHS frontline workers, including Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) employees, as well as members of the US Coast Guard, are still not being paid.

“The Democrats must stop playing political games with our national security, quit punishing our employees, and re-open DHS,” Mullin demanded.