ICE Agents Assist with Airport Security Amid DHS Shutdown
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to assist with airport security during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. ICE agents will be performing non-significant tasks such as guarding exits to help ease the long lines at airport security checkpoints. This move comes as TSA employees, who have not been paid for five weeks due to the partial government shutdown, have been calling in sick, causing delays for travelers at major U.S. airports.
ICE agents will not be involved in screening passengers through the X-ray machines, as that is a specialized task handled by TSA. President Donald Trump had announced on social media that ICE agents would be conducting security at airports and making immediate arrests of undocumented immigrants, with a focus on Somalis. However, ICE Acting Director Tom Homan clarified that ICE has been present at airports for immigration enforcement and that their role will not change.
The deployment of ICE agents to airports is part of the ongoing efforts to address the budget impasse and funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA. Lawmakers are still in negotiations over funding and new guardrails for immigration enforcement. ICE agents will work alongside TSA officials to develop a plan to help expedite airport security procedures and free up TSA agents from non-significant tasks.
ICE agents will not be involved in scanning luggage, as that is not within their expertise. Their focus will be on security measures to help move the lines quicker and improve efficiency at airport checkpoints. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mentioned that hundreds of TSA agents are not reporting to work, contributing to the delays at airports.
Specific airports where ICE agents will be stationed have not been named, but priority will be given to larger airports with the longest wait times, which can stretch up to three hours. The collaboration between ICE and TSA aims to enhance security measures and streamline the airport screening process for travelers.