Overview
- Philadelphia International Airport’s interim chief said ICE officers would leave as soon as Thursday, ending their temporary checkpoint roles there.
- President Trump sent ICE to 14 airports on March 23 to help control lines when a Department of Homeland Security funding lapse left many TSA officers unpaid.
- Agents were limited to support tasks such as checking IDs, managing queues, and handing out water, and they did not perform full security screening.
- Cleveland, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh airports confirmed this week that ICE had already ended checkpoint assistance as wait times improved after TSA pay resumed in late March.
- ICE may still conduct immigration enforcement inside terminals even as checkpoint duties wind down, and DHS funding remains unresolved, creating the risk of renewed strain if pay lapses again.