Trump Says ICE Agents Could Reach U.S. Airports Monday as TSA Goes Unpaid

President Donald Trump said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will begin heading to U.S. airports as early as Monday to help the Transportation Security Administration, which is short-staffed because its officers are going unpaid during a partial government shutdown. Trump put border czar Tom Homan in charge of the effort, according to The National News Desk, whose report ran on KFOX14.

The announcement followed a warning a day earlier. Trump had said he would send ICE agents if lawmakers did not agree on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, The National News Desk reported. Scripps News noted that the department oversees the TSA, the Secret Service and the Coast Guard. In a Truth Social post, Trump blamed Democrats, writing, “If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports,” according to Scripps News.

Homan appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday to explain the plan. He told CNN the agents would relieve TSA officers of “non-significant roles,” according to The National News Desk. Scripps News reported that Homan said the agents would not replace TSA officers but would handle tasks such as guarding exits, and that they would go first to the airports with the longest waits. “We’re simply there to help TSA do their job,” Homan said, according to Scripps.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared a plan that describes a broader role for ICE agents than Homan’s account, The National News Desk reported. Duffy also warned on Sunday that delays could get worse if Congress does not fund the department, and said TSA officers would likely miss their second paycheck this week without action, according to Scripps News. “Without getting paychecks, it’s even that much more challenging,” Duffy told ABC News.

The shutdown is the backdrop. The partial shutdown began in mid-February, according to The National News Desk, and security checkpoint times have soared at some airports since the funding dispute began. Scripps News reported that about 10 percent of the TSA’s 50,000 security officers have called off work since the shutdown began, which has produced long lines. Both outlets reported that travelers were warned to expect worse waits.

The political fight is over who is responsible. Republicans have blamed Democrats for the stalemate, while Democrats are pushing for changes to federal immigration enforcement, Scripps News reported.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called Trump’s order “disturbing” in remarks on the Senate floor on Sunday. He said the presence of ICE agents would only hinder travelers and “will certainly make the chaos at our airports worse,” according to The National News Desk.

The reports did not say how many ICE agents would be sent, which airports would receive them first, or whether the agents would continue immigration enforcement duties while at checkpoints.