Overview
- On Monday, ICE officers began assisting at least 13 to 14 major airports, taking on exit monitoring, line control, and ID checks while a senior official said roughly 50 personnel would staff each site per shift.
- TSA staffing has worsened during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, with a callout rate near 11.8% and more than 400 resignations reported, driving hours‑long lines in cities such as Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, and Houston.
- The White House said ICE will not operate X‑ray machines or conduct screening because agents lack that certification, framing the deployment as a short‑term way to free trained TSA officers for checkpoint lanes.
- Unions and civil‑liberties groups criticized the plan as unsafe and unnecessary, and President Trump drew fresh scrutiny after urging ICE officers not to wear masks while working in airports.
- Negotiations in Congress remain stalled after the president rejected a TSA‑only funding push and tied a deal to passing the SAVE America Act, and he said he may consider using the National Guard if airport conditions do not improve.