Overview
- President Trump said ICE agents will begin assisting at U.S. airports on Monday, with border czar Tom Homan coordinating the deployment.
- Homan acknowledged ICE agents are not trained for TSA screening and outlined support roles like guarding exits and managing lines, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy offered a conflicting view on running X-ray machines.
- TSA is in its sixth week without paychecks, with more than 366 officers reported resigned, unscheduled absences exceeding 9% on several days, and hours-long lines at airports including Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans and JFK.
- Democratic leaders and unions condemned the plan as unsafe and potentially unlawful, as administration officials continued to debate what ICE can lawfully or practically do at checkpoints.
- Trump signaled ICE would continue immigration enforcement during the airport deployment, and Elon Musk separately offered to cover TSA salaries, an offer whose legality and logistics remain unresolved.