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3h ago

ICE Agents Deployed to 14 Airports as TSA Shortages Snarl Security Lines

The deployment shows the White House turning to stopgaps because TSA workers remain unpaid.

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A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent looks on passengers queue to go through security at New York's LaGuardia airport on March 22, 2026. Immigration agents will be deployed in US airports beginning March 23, aiming to alleviate soaring congestion at security screenings amid a weeks-long budget standoff over President Donald Trump's mass deportation drive, officials said. Trump announced the extraordinary move in a social media post Sunday morning, sending officials racing to quickly develop a plan. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • ICE, which began airport support Monday, positioned hundreds of agents at roughly 14 major hubs to check IDs, watch exits, and manage lines.
  • DHS officials said the agents will not run X-ray machines or metal detectors, noting ICE lacks that training, to free certified screeners for checkpoints.
  • TSA shortages drove the move after weeks without pay, with call-outs hitting 11.76% nationwide and surpassing 40% in Atlanta and New Orleans as lines stretched for hours.
  • President Trump told agents not to wear masks in airports and floated using the National Guard next, while saying arrests are not the mission.
  • Negotiations remained stuck as Trump rejected a standalone TSA fix and linked DHS funding to the SAVE America Act, while unions and the ACLU warned ICE’s presence could unsettle travelers and risk safety.