Particle.news
Download on the App Store
568 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

ICE Agents Sent to Major Airports as DHS Shutdown Drags On

The funding stalemate has left TSA unpaid, raising safety questions about using immigration officers in airport roles.

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)
Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • ICE agents, who began rotations at roughly 13–14 hubs Monday, are handling exit lanes, crowd control and ID checks, not passenger screening.
  • The DHS funding lapse on February 14 has left TSA officers without pay, with more than 3,200 weekend call‑outs, hundreds of resignations and security lines stretching for hours in cities like Atlanta and New Orleans.
  • President Trump told agents not to wear masks in airports and said he may send the National Guard if needed, while officials stress the current mission is to support TSA rather than conduct immigration arrests.
  • Negotiations are stuck as Democrats seek to restore TSA pay with immigration‑enforcement limits and Trump ties any DHS deal to the SAVE America voting bill, with Punchbowl News reporting he rejected a plan to fund DHS without ICE.
  • Unions and aviation experts say ICE lacks aviation‑security training and could heighten tensions, while some officials argue the agents free TSA for specialized tasks, and early reports show no clear drop in wait times.