“We’re going to be a force multiplier,” promised U.S. border czar Tom Homan on Sunday, as he outlined plans to deploy ICE agents to airports to bolster security. This move comes amidst the ongoing partial government shutdown that continues to affect federal airline workers.
During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Homan elaborated on the strategy to send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports starting Monday. This decision aims to support security efforts while the shutdown remains unresolved.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents have been working without pay since mid-February, a situation caused by a lapse in U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding. This shutdown marks the third instance in six months where federal workers are expected to perform their duties without guaranteed compensation.
As the shutdown drags on, more than 300 TSA agents have resigned, and the number of call-outs has surged over the past week. Consequently, this has resulted in long delays at airport security checkpoints, inconveniencing travelers nationwide.
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of ICE agents to airports, emphasizing this measure through several posts on Truth Social over the weekend. The administration hopes this initiative will alleviate security challenges and restore order amidst the ongoing disruption.
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of ICE agents to airports in a series of posts Saturday and Sunday on Truth Social.
“On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job,” the president wrote.
The president did not specify what role the ICE agents would take on, which raised some concerns, as TSA agents are specially trained to perform their duties.
“THEY WILL DO A FANTASTIC JOB,” the president continued. “The great Tom Homan is in charge!”
Homan clarified expectations for ICE agents who are deployed to airports during his appearance on CNN, saying the federal workers can help with “non-significant roles,” such as monitoring lines and guarding exits to help free up TSA agents for other duties.
“I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine, because they’re not trained in that,” Homan said. “There are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them in the specialized jobs to help move those lines.”
Another option was having ICE agents check identification before travelers enter screenings areas.
“We’re going to be a force multiplier,” he said.
Homan said he has been in discussions with TSA and ICE administrators and shared a goal to finalize the deployment plan by Sunday evening, with a goal to send help to the airports with the longest security lines in recent days.
“It’s a work in progress, but we will be at the airports tomorrow helping TSA move those lines along,” he added.
Democrats have shared concerns about sending ICE agents, citing recent examples of conduct concerns during the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and deportation efforts, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in the streets of Minneapolis in January at the hands of federal agents.
“The last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances kill them,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on the same CNN show. “We’ve already seen how ICE conducts itself. These are untrained individuals when it comes to doing the current job that they have for the most part, let alone deploying them in close exposure in highly sensitive situations at airports across the country.”
On Saturday, in a rare weekend session, the Senate rejected a motion by Democrats to take up legislation to reopen TSA and pay workers who are now going without paychecks. Republicans argue that they need to fund all parts of the DHS, not just certain ones. A bill to fund the Cabinet department failed to advance in the Senate on Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
