US President Trump orders ICE agents to assist airport security amid DHS funding shutdown
Consensus Summary
US President Donald Trump announced on 23 March 2026 that he would deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to US airports starting Monday, 24 March, to address severe security line congestion caused by a partial government shutdown. The shutdown, now in its 36th day, has left TSA agents unpaid and led to over 400 resignations, disrupting travel at major airports. Trump’s move follows a funding impasse over stricter immigration enforcement reforms demanded by Democrats, who blocked DHS funding after two American citizens were killed during an ICE crackdown in Minnesota. While Trump framed the deployment as a solution to ease travel delays, critics like House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that untrained ICE agents could pose risks to public safety. ICE agents, typically focused on immigration enforcement, lack specialized training for airport security tasks like operating X-ray machines, though they could assist with exit monitoring or ID checks. The deployment comes amid ongoing bipartisan talks in the Senate, where Republicans and Democrats are attempting to reach a compromise to reopen DHS and pay affected workers before the situation worsens. The move also raises legal questions about ICE’s authority to arrest non-citizens at airports without warrants, as outlined in USC 1357.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Donald Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist at US airports starting Monday, 24 March 2026, to relieve TSA security line congestion caused by a partial government shutdown.
- The partial government shutdown began on 14 February 2026, and more than 400 TSA workers have quit since then, according to DHS and NBC News reports.
- TSA agents have been working without pay since Congress failed to renew DHS funding in mid-February 2026, with hundreds of thousands of DHS workers, including TSA and Secret Service, affected.
- ICE agents are not specifically trained for airport security, which is the domain of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
- The deployment of ICE agents follows a Senate deadlock over stricter regulations on federal immigration enforcement, with Democrats blocking DHS funding until reforms are implemented.
- ICE agents were previously deployed in Minnesota for an immigration crackdown that resulted in the fatal shootings of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in January 2026.
- Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, is leading the effort to deploy ICE agents at airports and has met with bipartisan senators over the partial shutdown.
- The Senate is considering the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin to be the next DHS secretary, with a vote expected by late Monday, 24 March 2026.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- ICE agents may guard exit lanes or check passenger IDs at airports, according to ABC’s reporting.
- Blake Wilbanks, a 43-year-old traveler, waited two-and-a-half hours early for his flight at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport due to shutdown-related delays.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed concern about the uncertainty travelers face regarding wait times at airports.
- Senator Richard Blumenthal criticized Trump’s proposal as a 'reckless, lawless threat to misuse ICE agents'.
- ICE agents are already assigned at many airports across the country for criminal investigations, including smuggling operations.
- Trump’s post on Truth Social stated ICE agents would 'do security like no one has ever seen before,' including the 'immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants,' with a focus on Somali immigrants.
- Trump’s comments about Somali immigrants included xenophobic rhetoric, calling them 'garbage' and referencing Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
- The Guardian reported that more than 400 TSA agents have left their jobs since the shutdown began, citing DHS data.
- The Guardian highlighted that ICE agents are not trained to operate X-ray machines or perform TSA-specific tasks, focusing instead on guarding exits to free TSA officers for screening.
- The Guardian mentioned that TSA began requiring federally compliant IDs for passengers at security checkpoints nearly a year prior, giving ICE clearer access to traveler data.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC reports that ICE agents may check passenger IDs at airports, while The Guardian does not mention this specific role for ICE agents.
- The Guardian emphasizes Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric about Somali immigrants, including references to Ilhan Omar, which is not mentioned in ABC’s articles.
- ABC states that ICE agents are already assigned at many airports for criminal investigations, but The Guardian does not provide this detail.
- The Guardian reports that TSA began requiring federally compliant IDs nearly a year prior, while ABC does not mention this timeline or detail.
- ABC highlights the chaotic scenes at John F Kennedy International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, while The Guardian does not provide specific airport examples of congestion.
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